We publish below an extract from the FIFA.com report "Africa ready to welcome 'new baby'", focused on the first ever African Beach Soccer Championship.

Courtesy: FIFA.com


From the futsal pitch to the beach

Some of the participant teams have made no secret of the fact that they have been brought together in haste, and don't be too surprised to see some of them a little unsure of the beach soccer-specific rules in Durban.

At the other end of the spectrum, however, there are teams who have prepared thoroughly for the tournament, including Egypt, who included two players from the side that finished fifth in the FIFA Futsal World Championship in Guatemala six years ago.

One of them, Wael Abdel Mawla, told FIFA.com: "It is very exciting to be here, however I should point out that this game is something completely different from futsal."

Mawla, Egypt's captain, has been involved in a three-month preparation camp for this tournament, and he highlighted the fact that Durban should revive some of good memories of his introduction to futsal in Guatemala.

"In Guatemala, we were also kind of new to the game and, like now, we had to play while we were fasting. But we were able to achieve some great results," he reminisced.

Mawla's mention of fasting refers, of course, to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which started this week and will ensure that the North Africans' representatives face an additional physical hurdle to overcome.

"In Guatemala it was tough," he recalled, "but considering the kind of effort needed in this game, where the physical element is very great, I think we will be facing an even tougher challenge."

With the presence of some big names participating in this newly-introduced game to the continent, South Africa will certainly be looking forward to giving this competition a warm welcome and spreading enthusiasm about beach soccer throughout Africa.



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