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Children’s sports to defeat pandemic: 2020 Football for Friendship Forum presents most successful projects to support children’s football
Over 25 successful projects to adapt children’s football to the 2020 pandemic were presented during the Eighth International Forum, which was held on November 30 – December 3 as part of the Gazprom International Children’s Social Programme Football for Friendship.
The International Football for Friendship Forum was held for the 8th year in a row, for the first time in the online format. The Forum is a unique platform for exchanging views on the development of children’s football in various countries around the world. At the Forum, coaches, athletes, public figures, and heads of sports organisations identify the best practices for supporting children’s sports and discuss the most effective ways to promote the key values of Football for Friendship in the world. The best practices are published with open access and become the basis for the free courses of the Football for Friendship Coaches Academy.
“Football is a social game that teaches important values. These include respect, honesty, fairness and devotion to a set task”, pointed out Frank Ludolph, UEFA Head of Football Education Services, Head of the Expert Council of the 2020 International Football for Friendship Award. “The idea behind Football for Friendship is to promote innovation in online learning, emphasize the social role of football and promote local community building to inspire more children around the world”.
In 2020, projects include successful application of organising online classes using video communication services, messengers, and social media. The SLSFA Sri Lanka Schools Football Association and the Sri Lanka Ministry of Education presented an online concept of competitions and contests for children of all age groups. The Brazilian Football Confederation launched several social projects, including those aimed at training goalkeepers, providing social services, and supporting a highly active lifestyle during the pandemic-related period of self-isolation. In total, over 100 football academies and federations submitted applications to participate in the Football for Friendship Forum. Projects were presented in the following nominations:
- Changing the World: Educational Activities
- Stadium Is Where I Am: Improving Football Skills
- Earth is a Ball: Providing Football to Everyone
- Driving the Planet: Building Football Community
All the projects were evaluated by the International Expert Council, which included world experts in the field of football education: Frank Ludolph, Germany, UEFA Head of Football Education Services, Head of the Expert Council of the 2020 International Football for Friendship Award; Pablo Cesar Torres, Uruguay, President of Youth Football and Scouting at Club Atlético Peñarol, Mike Puig, Spain, CEO of the Soccer Barcelona Youth Academy; and three Football for Friendship Young Ambassadors: Ananya Kamboj, India, Mohammad Yusuf Moazzam, Pakistan, and Sheqayli Ascencion, Aruba.
For the first time in the history of the world football movement, children assessed “adult” projects on equal terms.
“All the projects followed the values of Football for Friendship. And each of them has benefited children in uncertain conditions due to the coronavirus pandemic”, noted 15-year-old football player Yusuf Moazzam, a member of the jury, Young Ambassador from Pakistan. “Judging several projects at the international level was amazing, I really enjoyed it!”
All the projects presented at the International Football for Friendship Forum are open to the public on the programme’s official website https://footballforfriendship.com/experts-forum/. Those who initiated the projects hope that the best practices will be replicated in different countries, benefiting as many children around the world as possible.
On December 9, during the live broadcast of the 2020 Football for Friendship Season final, the best projects in the four nominations will be announced and given the Football for Friendship Award.
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Tebex connects to the Paysafe API, extending beyond PaysafeCard to card processing and alternative payment methods including Openbucks in the US.
Paysafe (NYSE: PSFE) has expanded its partnership with video game monetization platform Tebex, adding card payments and additional alternative payment methods (APMs) through a single integration to the Paysafe API. The update was announced July 7, 2026 in London.
Tebex has integrated the Paysafe Gateway to support credit and debit card processing alongside APMs. Tebex said its checkout has offered Paysafe’s prepaid eCash product PaysafeCard since 2016, and the new API integration connects Tebex to a broader set of Paysafe payment products.
The integration also links Tebex to Paysafe’s branded APMs. Tebex Checkout is already live with Openbucks, which enables US gamers to pay online with cash using third-party gift cards purchased in-store at “67K+ locations,” or via Openbucks’ Obucks digital card sold through authorized online resellers.
Zak Cutler, President of Global Gaming at Paysafe, said: “We’re delighted to broaden our partnership with Tebex. In a highly competitive market, video game creatives need to satisfy gamers’ increasingly diverse transactional expectations. By connecting the Tebex Checkout to an exhaustive range of payment options, including recognizable brands like our Openbucks solution, the Paysafe Gateway will give Tebex and its customers an edge when it comes to streamlining, simplifying and ultimately optimizing the monetization of gaming.”
Liam Wiltshire, Vice President and GM of Tebex, commented: “At Tebex, we know payments are more than a transaction. They’re a critical part of how studios build relationships with their players and grow their games. Acting as an extension of the studio, our role is to remove the complexity of global payments, compliance, and support so teams can focus on creating amazing experiences. Expanding our partnership with Paysafe allows Tebex to offer greater choice and flexibility at checkout, helping our partners reach more players, reduce friction, and unlock new opportunities for growth.”
The post Paysafe expands Tebex checkout integration to add cards and more APMs appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Expanded partnership sees video gaming monetization platform Tebex integrate to Paysafe API for card payments and multiple alternative payment methods
Paysafe (NYSE: PSFE), a global payments platform, today announced its expanded partnership with Tebex, the game monetization extension and growth platform for game servers and game studios. Tebex, which acts as an extension of a gaming studio, has integrated the Paysafe Gateway into its platform to enable video game merchants to provide their customers with true optionality when they transact – from card payments to alternative payment methods (APMs).
The Tebex Checkout has featured Paysafe’s flagship prepaid eCash solution PaysafeCard since 2016, and now, through a single, streamlined integration with the Paysafe API, it is connected to the company’s complete range of payment solutions. This includes seamless credit card and debit card payments, with all transactions processed in seconds by Paysafe.
The Gateway also connects Tebex to Paysafe’s suite of branded APMs, with the Tebex Checkout already live with the company’s Openbucks solution. Boasting strong brand recognition in the American video gaming community, this APM allows US gamers to pay online with cash using third-party gift cards, which can be bought in-store at 67K+ locations, or Openbucks’ own Obucks digital card, available for purchase online via authorized resellers.
With Openbucks and future Paysafe-powered solutions, Tebex continues to expand its network of local and alternative payment methods, enabling studios to reach players in more markets with payment options that reflect regional preferences and improve conversion rates with a seamless player experience.
Zak Cutler, President of Global Gaming at Paysafe, said: “We’re delighted to broaden our partnership with Tebex. In a highly competitive market, video game creatives need to satisfy gamers’ increasingly diverse transactional expectations. By connecting the Tebex Checkout to an exhaustive range of payment options, including recognizable brands like our Openbucks solution, the Paysafe Gateway will give Tebex and its customers an edge when it comes to streamlining, simplifying and ultimately optimizing the monetization of gaming.”
Liam Wiltshire, Vice President and GM of Tebex, commented: “At Tebex, we know payments are more than a transaction. They’re a critical part of how studios build relationships with their players and grow their games. Acting as an extension of the studio, our role is to remove the complexity of global payments, compliance, and support so teams can focus on creating amazing experiences. Expanding our partnership with Paysafe allows Tebex to offer greater choice and flexibility at checkout, helping our partners reach more players, reduce friction, and unlock new opportunities for growth.”
The post Paysafe strengthens Tebex’s payment offering for video gaming industry appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
F*Bastards says its casino content is now available through more than 400 operators worldwide, marking a distribution milestone for the iGaming supplier as it continues to expand its portfolio and partner network.
In a company statement outlining its background, Co-Founder Ugnius Seskas said the team’s earlier attempt to build a game studio fell short due to positioning rather than production capability. “Looking back, we realised we weren’t missing talent. We were missing identity. We could build games, but we hadn’t built something people could remember. That lesson became the starting point for everything F*Bastards would later become.” says Co-Founder Ugnius Seskas.
The company said it intentionally built its brand around differentiation, including the decision to use the name F*Bastards despite the expectation it would split opinion among potential partners. The founders described early progress as incremental, driven by game releases, industry events, operator feedback and relationship-building, rather than a single breakout moment.
F*Bastards also pointed to a fundraising milestone in 2026, saying it secured its first seven-figure investment. The company positioned the round as validation of execution rather than an early-stage concept.
“From day one, the goal wasn’t to become the biggest supplier. It was to build something people would remember. We’ve come a long way, but in many ways, it still feels like we’re only getting started” says Co-Founder Ugnius Seskas.
The post F*Bastards says it now distributes content via 400+ operators worldwide appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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