Courtesy: Khaleej Times


Mamzar A beat Weatherford for title

by Rituraj Borkakoty

1 July 2012

DUBAI — The Malaysian spirit won the hearts on Friday as hundreds of Malaysian expats came together from all parts of the UAE to make the first Eversendai Cup 5-a-side futsal tournament a roaring success.

It was more of a festive occasion. Hosted at the Ahdaaf Sports Club in Al Quoz, the futsal event drew 14 teams and as many as 98 players took part in it, making the day an unforgettable one.

Ahmed Fadil Shamsuddin, the Malaysian consul general, was also present on the occasion and he was constantly cheering the players on.

“Well, this is the first time we are organising the tournament. We want to make it an annual affair. And we have got a great response from the people,” Shamsuddin told Khaleej Times as players battled for possession in this exciting form of the game that has become such a massive hit in southeast Asia.

“As many as 20 teams showed their interest. But we were in a difficult position as it’s just a one-day event. So we had to make it a 14-team event.

“We were overwhelmed with the response. That’s why we want to make it a two-day event from next year,” the consul general added.

Mamzar A ran away with the glory with a fine 3-1 victory over Weatherford in the final match of the competition. In the semis, Mamzar A beat Bunga Raya 2-1 on penalties and Weatherford defeated Mamzar B 3-2 on penalties.

Othman Abas, president of the UAE Malaysian Community, was delighted with the success of the event. “We came up with the idea of hosting this event during one of our meetings. We are really grateful to the Consulate General’s office for supporting and helping us organise this event. And a special thanks to our title sponsor Eversendai as without them this would not have been possible.”

The idea, said Abas, was to bring the Malay people in the UAE closer through sport. “You know some of the players you see, they never met each other before. But today some of them are playing for the same team. Events like this give you an ideal opportunity to bring people closer to each other.”

Participating teams: Weatherford; Bunga Raya; Mamzar C; Petrons A; Mamzar B; Al Barsha; MY UAE; Mamzar D; Petrons B; Mamzar A; Rimao Pasir; CG; Al Ain; Falcon Rimali.

Results

Quarter-finals: Mamzar A 3 Mamzar C 1; Petrons A 0 Weatherford 2; Al Barsha 1 Bunga Raya 2; Mamzar D 5 Mamzar B 6 (on penalties)

Semi-finals: Mamzar A 2 Bunga Raya 1 (on penalties); Weatherford 3 Mamzar B 2 (on penalties)

Final: Mamzar A 3 Weatherford 1




Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com