FIFA President Gianni Infantino has invited the young football team that has been trapped in a cave in Thailand to the World Cup taking place in Russia. With the team that has been spending days in the cave’s darkness garnering a lot of support on social media, Infantino hoped that the team will be rescued just in time for the final of World Cup, scheduled to take place in Moscow on July 15.
The Wild Boars team consisting of 12 boys aged 11-16 and a 25-year old coach, have been stuck in a cave of Northern Thailand after they decided to go exploring on June 23. Writing a letter to the head of the Football Association of Thailand, Infantino said, “If, as we all hope, they are reunited with their families in the coming days and their health allows them to travel, FIFA would be delighted to invite them to attend the 2018 World Cup final as our guests.”
“I sincerely hope that they will be able to join us at the final, which will undoubtedly be a wonderful moment of communion and celebration,” he added.
With the rescue team in operation, a footage of the players has been released with the boys, some wearing football jerseys, looking weak yet calm. The news has received global media coverage with Japan’s World Cup squad tweeting a video urging the team to “Hang in there!”, while Brazil legend Ronaldo calling their plight “terrible”. “The world of football hopes that someone can find a way to take these kids out of there,” he said, according to CNN.