On Friday, President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski presided over a ceremony to congratulate Peru's national soccer squad and technical staff for having qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The event took place at the Government Palace's Golden Hall, in Lima, and saw the presence of Prime Minister
Mercedes Araoz and Peruvian Soccer Federation President Edwin Oviedo.
During the ceremony, the Head of State affirmed that reaching the
long-awaited qualification after 36 years is "a major achievement."
"Congratulations to all the players […] This is a proud moment for Peru," he said.
"I am sure we will succeed and deliver a great performance, with honor and with victory," the statesman added.
He went on to stress the great work done by Ricardo Gareca as coach of the team.
For his part, Gareca thanked the affection of Peruvians and noted the most important thing now is to "have our feet on the ground and represent Peru as best as possible."
At the end, the statesman was given a Peruvian soccer jersey with his name's acronyms and number 10 on the back.
(END) CCR/JAA/RMB
Published: 11/17/2017