Court circuit – Embassy 32

Russia lifts the first-ever RBI Consular Cup trophy

RBI Consular Cup
It may not have been the Champions League final at Wembley, but the inaugural Rowland Brothers International Consular Cup, which pitted diplomats and technical staff against each other, was not short on drama. Held at the Westway Sports Centre, the tournament in early May was organised jointly by the Consular Corps of London and Rowland Brothers International and opened by the CCL President Bogdan Kolarov. The Ambassadors of Bulgaria and Ukraine were also present to cheer on their teams. The nine teams that took part in the competition were split into three groups. Group A consisted of the diplomatic teams of Belgium, Mexico and Ukraine; Group B included Turkey, Panama and VFS Global; and Bulgaria, Ireland and Russia made up Group C. Diplomatic niceties were left on the sidelines as the teams battled hard for supremacy. Thirteen matches were played over four hours, entertaining spectators with 58 goals and some impressive footballing skills. Russia and Turkey emerged strongest and met each other in a thrilling final that had to go to penalties. But the Russians held their nerve and scored the decisive goal making them the first team to lift the RBI Consular Cup trophy. All the competitors celebrated with a well-deserved pint or three courtesy of IDS and it was decided that the RBI Consular Cup should become a regular fixture on the consular calendar.