CHENNAI : With the sea breeze fluttering and the morning sun twinkling above, groups of young men dash across the sand, executing elaborate footwork as they pass the football over to each other. When a well-timed kick launched the ball into the goal, cheers erupt from the audience.
The RedBull Neymar Jr’s Five, a global five-versus-five football tournament conducted in 59 countries was held in Chennai recently. Winning the local qualifier round was AMET FC, who will play in the national finals that will be held in Kolkata later this month, for a chance to represent the nation in Brazil and meet the professional footballer Neymar.
When asked if he was excited at the prospect of meeting his hero, Ajay Martin grins shyly. Ashwin Sasikumar laughs and tugs his teammate’s phone from his hands. He unlocks the phone to show the screensaver, which is a picture of Neymar. “While I am excited at a chance to meet Neymar, I am proud that I am representing Chennai in finals. If I get a chance to represent India, there will be nothing like it,” says 20-year-old Ajay, an aeronautical engineering student at AMET University, Chennai.
The team of five, which includes Viju Mohan, Vyshakh, Bilal bin Asraf, Muhammed Sahad and Lijo K, have been friends for about three years now. “We are all friends, and some of them come from the villages near my hometown of Thoothukudi. In fact, Ashwin and I have known each other for a long time,” says Ajay, adding that Lijo, the youngest member who is in class 10, is from the same town as he is. Their close bond is evident by how they speak of their friends.
The boys credit their success to their coaches, Jenifer and Prabhu. “They trained us and helped us grow. When you come from a village, there are a lot of factors that prevent you from achieving your dreams, even though many of us have a lot of talent. Our coach and families have been very supportive of us and helped us reach this point,” says Ashwin. In preparation for the regional finals, the team had trained together for around four months, and are continuing their rigorous training for the finals.
The finals will also be held in the five-versus-five style. Ashwin says this is one of his favourite styles of playing. “The game is much faster and shorter. So, you rely on speed and stamina, which is why we train on the beach. Our strategy for the finals is to score before the other team, because then one player from the opponent team will have to sit outside as per the rules,” he says.The national finals for The RedBull Neymar Jr’s Five tournament will be held in Kolkata on April 17.
The tournament
The RedBull Neymar Jr’s Five, a global five-versus-five football tournament conducted in 59 countries was held in Chennai recently. The winning team will play in the national finals that will be held in Kolkata on April 17, for a chance to represent the nation in Brazil and meet the professional footballer Neymar.