Courtesy: Cambridge Evening News on Line


England rule - Okay!

ERKAN Okay has been called up by the Football Association to represent England in the DSF Futsal Tournament in Dubai later this month.

It is a welcome turnaround for the Histon left-back, who landed himself in hot water after offending rival fans by lifting a T-shirt with the words 'Cambridge City RIP' on a gravestone following their New Year clash at Milton Road.

Since then Okay and Histon have issued a full apology to their neighbours, but the 20-year-old defender is now looking forward to representing the Stutes and his country on the international stage.

Futsal is a five-a-side game played with a smaller, heavier ball, with rotating substitutions. England, who are ranked 66 in the world, will have their work cut out in the Middle East as they could be drawn against two teams from Brazil, Italy, Iran, Romania or Egypt, who are all in the top 20.

The Histon man is one of only two new call-ups to Graeme Dell's 14-man squad, which also includes Okay's close friend, and former Cambridge City forward, Matt Hann.

A delighted Okay said: "Obviously I am really pleased with the call-up, it came out of the blue a bit. The only five-a-side I have played is with my mates, so making the step up to international level to go up against the top players is going to be a good test."

The England coach Dell came to watch Okay over the Christmas period including the now infamous City game and he saw enough to hand former Ipswich Town youth player a call-up.

But the diminutive defender is keen to use this chance to prove his critics and repay the club's faith in him following the City T-shirt stunt.

He added: "It has been bad press for myself, the club, the chairman and the gaffer, so this is a chance to put things right."

The latest England addition will meet up with his new team-mates at Lilleshall on Sunday before jetting out to Dubai for the end of the month.

He said: "I will miss a few games (for Histon), but I have had a chat with the manager Steve Fallon and he thinks it's an opportunity too good to miss."



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