Katara ready to welcome guests for 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

Al Sadd lose to Sepahan but qualify; Al Taawoun shatter Al Duhail dreams

 Al Sadd lose to Sepahan but qualify; Al Taawoun shatter Al Duhail dreams

Doha: Qatar's Al Sadd and Al Duhail had contrasting fortunes in the  2020 AFC Champions League West Zone matches played in Doha. Al Sadd qualified for the round of 16 while Duhail failed to make the cut.

On Thursday, Islamic Republic of Iran’s Sepahan FC ended their 2020 AFC Champions League on a high after defeating Al Sadd SC 2-1 in Group D .

Sepahan had already been eliminated, having collected just four points from their previous five games, while Al Sadd had booked their place in the Round of 16 with a game to spare.

Al Sadd coach Xavi made 10 changes to his starting XI that played out a 1-1 draw against Al Nassr three days earlier, with only centre-back Tarek Salman retaining his place in the team, before being swapped for Abdelkarim Hassan at half time.

After a lively start to the game, Sepahan found the back of the net with their first major chance. Daniel Esmaeilifar sent a long ball down the right flank behind Al Sadd left-back Bahaa Mamdouh allowing Reza Mirzaei to control and lob Salman before firing with his left into the bottom corner to open the scoring in the 14th minute.

Al Sadd regrouped and saw more of the ball in the following minutes with veteran Rodrigo Tabata at the heart of their attacking play.

With eight minutes to go until the break, the 39-year-old drove from midfield and attempted an effort from range that grazed the side netting. Four minutes later he sent a cross from a left-sided set-piece that evaded everyone and needed a save from goalkeeper Seyedpayam Nizamandghader at the far post.

Sepahan retook the initiative in the second half and within six minutes of the restart Soroush Rafiei had beaten goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham with a header from close range but watched his ball ricochet off the upright.

The Iranian pressure mounted on Al Sadd defences, producing a second goal in the 53rd minute. Mirzaei advanced into the byline from the right wing and sent a across that was parried by Barsham into the path of Sajjad Shabazzadeh who applied the finish to double Sepahan’s lead.

Eight minutes before the final whistle, Yusuf Abdurisaq pounced on a light back pass from Esmaeilifar to his goalkeeper and squared for Hashim Ali who was left with a simple tap in to make it 2-1.

The result means Al Sadd finish in second place of Group D with nine points and will face the Group C winners in the Round of 16. Sepahan end their campaign in third place with seven points.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's Al Taawoun FC snatched a ticket to the 2020 AFC Champions League Round-of-16 after defeating Al Duhail 1-0 in Group C on Thursday.

The two sides had met on Matchday Two, when Al Taawoun scored a 2-0 home win courtesy of goals from Mohamed Al Sahlawi and Abdulmajeed Al Swat.

The first half was cagey and featured missed chances by Mohammed Musa, Edmilson Junior and Dudu for Al Duhail as well as Cedric Amissi for the Buraidah based side. Deep into stoppage time in the first half, Cassio expertly denied Almoez Ali who struck from the left.

Junior threatened 55 minutes in, and after a break by his side, the Belgian cut inside from the left flank beating two players before curling an effort in from range that Cassio gratefully clutched into his arms.

Amissi got another chance to make his mark on proceedings when he attempted a free-kick on goal, after teammate Al Sahlawi was fouled down the flank. Amissi’s shot was timid, and keeper Mohammed Al Bakri punched away with ease.

The Burundi man got the exact same chance again from the left flank, this time forcing Al Bakri into a save that resulted in a corner; the one which saw a clashing of heads between Ali and Australian striker Mitchell Duke that took a few minutes of stoppage to treat.

The match exploded into life in the final 10 minutes, with Al Duhail missing a golden chance to open the scoring through Ismail Mohammed, who was through on goal with just the keeper to beat and chipped, but substitute Saad Yaslam managed to reach the ball and clear off the line.

A bandaged Duke then dramatically sealed the tie for Al Taawoun after breaking free from his marker in the area to meet Sultan Mandash’s corner and put the ball past Al Bakri.

The result sees Al Duhail crash out of the competition, while Al Taawoun qualify to the Round of 16 for the first time in their history.

Persepolis' 4-0 win over Sharjah in the other Group C fixture means Al Taawoun will face fellow Saudi side Al Nassr in the next round while Persepolis play Al Sadd.

Clubs’ competitive potential would be hit for various years: says La Liga President Tebas

 

Armstrong Vas

The global corona virus crisis is going to severely affect the European clubs’ competitive potential over the next few years, says La Liga President Javier Tebas.

Spain, which has given football the tiki-taka version of the game, has many of its coaches plying their trade across various leagues throughout the world including Qatar. The country is dependent on football in multiple ways and the crisis has not only affected the clubs but hit the wider economy in the Iberian country.

Spain earns 1.67% of its Gross Domestic Product from football and the COVID-19 outbreak is having is its impact in a country where over 1.5 million people earn their livelihood - either directly or indirectly - from the world’s most beautiful game.

“I won’t go as far as saying that clubs would be thrown into crisis because our financial controls are very robust, but clubs’ competitive potential would be hit for various years. 28% of the television broadcast contracts revenue, amounting to more than €500 million, is still up in the air,” said Tebas.

La Liga, which suspended its competition until the emergency is dealt with, will be part of UEFA’s core committee charged with redrawing the European football calendar. The commission is made up of three UEFA members, three ECA (European Club Association) members, La Liga and the Premier League. 

“If we look at the industry as a whole, all 30 European leagues together, €7.5 billion is at risk due to this crisis. That would be the cost of not being able to complete every competition. It would put the football industry at risk in some places. That’s why we need a global solution. It’s a problem that affects us all and all the competitions need to be coordinated,” he added, when asked about the potential financial losses that La Liga clubs could suffer in the near future.

On a possible restart for competitions in Europe he said: “Given the current situation we believe we can restart the competitions in mid-May, perhaps during the third week. If circumstances permit, we could bring that forward. There are 30 affected leagues, 30 cup tournaments, and we have to coordinate each schedule at both a national and international level. We need to work together.”

Tebas said some of the European leagues are working in tandem to tight over the crisis.

“We are working with leagues such as Serie A in Italy, who have 14 games still to play, or the Danish league, who have 15 left to play. UEFA’s decision to postpone Euro 2020 will help us find a way to finish our competitions. We made our calendar calculations even before the decision to postpone it. We knew we could work something out and we’re now looking at different restart dates. We have to work in reverse, as it were, looking at the latest date we could start playing to work out other options,” he said.

In light of UEFA’s decision to officially postpone Euro 2020, Tebas said: “It’s not wishful thinking, it’s the reality: the competitions can finish in June. We said it before they postponed the European Championships until 2021, and now we have even more reason to say it.”

 

 

Spotlight on US, Qatar and equestrian sports at #bigmeetup of Bosco Menezes

Spotlight on US, Qatar and equestrian sports at #bigmeetup of Bosco Menezes

Doha, Qatar July 3: Qatar: Sand, Sea, and Sky book of Diana Untermeyer and equestrian sports will take centre stage on Saturday July 4, 8pm at the 13th edition of #bigbmeetup, Qatar's only weekly virtual community meet up.

The meet up is a prelude to the QatarUSA year of culture 2021, organizer Bosco Menezes informed. Diana is a former cultural advisor to the Qatar-America Institute and she lived in Qatar, from 2004 – 2007 while her husband Chase Untermeyer served as US ambassador. 

At this week’s session Bosco has invited former US Ambassador to Qatar Chase Untermeyer and wife Diana, author of the book Qatar: Sand, Sea, and Sky which was published in December 2011.

Diana, will be talking about her journey as a writer and on equine, while her husband will talk about his experiences in Qatar as an Ambassador of the United States of America.
In Qatar, she was active with women’s and children’s programs and in the conservation, arts and health communities.  Diana also participated in numerous equestrian sports and won top rider for the 2006-2007 endurance season.

The initiative 'bigbmeetup' is run by Qatar based event planner, photographer and artist and is a community initiative founded by him. The aim of this initiative is to inspire, inform, educate and spread the news of the good deeds individuals and groups of people perform in their everyday lives for the betterment of humankind.

Diana, a graduate from the University of Virginia, worked as a wilderness guide, a liaison between the Vice President’s office and the Presidential Task Force on Regulatory Relief, an advance representative for then-Vice President and Mrs. Bush, and later as executive assistant to the counsel to President George H.W. Bush.

The first #bigmeetup was held at The Torch Doha in April 2018 where Qatar 2022 brand ambassador and beIN Sports anchor, Mohammed Saadon Al Kuwari, was the keynote speaker.

For more details visit www.bigbfotografi.com or log in to www.facebook.com/bigbfotografi

About her Book:

Qatar: Sand, Sea and Sky is an overview of the country and its journey into modernity while it preserves the duality of its culture as a desert by the sea. Stunning photography pairs with informative and personal text by the wife of the most recent United States ambassador to Qatar to give Westerners traveling to Qatar on business or for World Cup preparations an inside understanding of this moderate Muslim country and the way it attempts to become modern and engaged with the world without losing its heritage. It includes an introduction by Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, current chair of the Qatari Foundation Reach Out to Asia and Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Qatar and FIFA to stage pan-Arab tournament in 2021

Qatar and FIFA to stage pan-Arab tournament in 2021

Tournament will support preparations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022“M

26 June 2020:

Qatar Football Association (QFA) and FIFA have announced plans to deliver a pan-Arab tournament that will be played in the Gulf state in late 2021, with the competition acting as a crucial preparatory event for the FIFA World Cup 2022" that kicks off on 21 November 2022.

The competition proposal was presented to FIFA Council members via videoconference by H.E. Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) and Chairman of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 LLC (Q22). The FIFA Council subsequently approved the formation of the competition.

The 22-team invitational tournament for men's national teams will be contested by Arab nations from Africa and Asia. It will be played outside the International Match Calendar. The tournament, which will be held in Qatar from 1-18 December 2021, will be delivered by 022 and will allow the organisers to use facilities and run operations that are also planned for the subsequent FIFA World Cup 2022"

The tournament will take place during the same timeslot as the FIFA World Cup 2022TM, with the final taking place exactly one year before the Qatar 2022 final is scheduled to kick-off.

All tournament matches will be played at Qatar 2022 stadiums. In addition to utilising Qatar 2022 stadiums and training sites, the tournament will provide a vital opportunity for fans, players and officials to use host country facilities, including transport and accommodation.

President of the QFA, H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmad Al Thani, said: "This is an exciting moment for Qatar and football fans across the region and around the world. This new pan-Arab tournament will see teams from across the region go head-to-head in state-of-the-art FIFA World Cup venues and allow teams and fans to experience Qatar as a tournament host country.

This tournament marks an important footballing milestone for the country and the region, and everyone involved in delivering it will gain more essential experience ahead of the Qatar World Cup."

Al Thawadi said: "This exciting tournament will act as a perfect preparatory event for Qatar ahead of the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East and Arab world.

"Qatar has hosted many events since it was awarded the World Cup hosting rights back in 2010, but this will be our biggest yet and it will prove essential in utilising facilities and services ahead of 2022. The tournament is also being held at exactly the same time as the World Cup, meaning fans, players and officials will get a taste of what's to come in 2022.

 "The creation of this pan-Arab tournament reinforces our longstanding commitment that the FIFA World Cup 2022 will be a tournament that benefits the entire Arab world, one that showcases the beauty of the region and the immense passion that exists for the game."

Full details of tournament participants, along with the match schedule, will be shared in due course. The delivery of the event will be led by 022 staff, supported by the OFA, FIFA and the SC.

 

 

 

Keeping sports spirit alive in Qatar

Keeping sports spirit alive in Qatar

#lockdown, #Covid-19, #lockdown2020, #selfisolate, #quarantine, #lockdownextension, #lockdowndiaries, #staysafe, #21days, #lockdownday3, #stayhome, #qurantinelife, #IStayHome, #doha, #qatar, #2020, #football, #cricket, #PSG, #BravoCricketAcademy, #AbsoluteAcademyQatar, # BarwaCityFootballclub , # CricKinggdom, #youtube, #zoom, #EvolutionSports

 

As people stay at home and sports events have been cancelled, the line between outdoor and indoor games has blurred. Individuals are using social media platforms to hone up their sports skills by staying at home while sports academies have come up with innovative ways to keep the children busy at home during the lockdown.

The coronavirus pandemic has had an effect on how athletes train and remain match fit. Many a sports academies based in Qatar are adapting to innovative ways to keep their trainees fit and ready for sporting action. A host of academies — ranging from football to cricket — have taken the remote training route to impart coaching and fitness lessons through various digital platforms

Evolution Sports Qatar has made their remote learning and workout video content free to everyone and uploaded a series of videos on their website and also on Youtube. If you have a passion for soccer, basketball, swimming, netball or fitness, Evolution Sports have something on offer for you via the digital platforms.

“We all miss playing sports, participating in healthy activities and being around our coaches and friends. However, just because we have to stay indoors and practice social distancing, it doesn’t mean we have to stop practicing playing the games and activities we love,” Toyan Greaves, an official of Evolution Sports Qatar, told The Peninsula.

“Over the next 12 weeks, we are giving away free access to over 100 different workout videos, which can all be accessed via our website -https://www.evosportsqatar. com/remote-learning-menu,” he added.

 Also following the digital route is Absolute Academy — which has franchise tie-up with former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for its cricket coaching programme. While the cricket trainees at Absolute Academy have taken the digital route, youngsters learning the football, karate and badminton tricks at the same academy are training at home on their own.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) Academy Qatar has also taken the remote program route to impart football training to over 1000 players registered for its coaching sessions in a bid to keep them active during the Corona virus lockdown period.

Twice a week, the PSG Qatar is releasing on their Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCXKsiahvfYF_hvbyqnORJ2Q/videos - a 30 to 45 minutes program adapted to all ages, skills levels and space constraint.

The video contains a range of topic including nutrition tips, warm up, ball mastery to fitness, the participants can enjoy a professional session and keep progressing while staying home, officials of the French club which is owned by Qatar Sports Investments said. In addition to the remote program and to maintain a strong level of engagement with the local community, PSG Qatar delivers Facebook live training session at https:// www.facebook.com/PSGACADEMYQATAR/ every Thursday at 4pm.

Fabien Dilem, General Manager of the PSG Regional Office in Doha said: “As a major football club it is part of our commitment to put our expertise and knowledge at the service of the youth during this difficult period. We are here to support the local community by providing them with the appropriate tools to keep their children active”.

 Another sports academy, The Bravo Cricket Academy, Qatar is inspiring its pupils to get creative in their homes - by staging its E-learning cricket learning sessions while also urging them to indulge in different home chores.

One such ‘life skills’ assignment reads: ”Make your bed, wash your hands every two hours and practicing hygiene at home, keep exercise as part of your daily Routine, be attentive in your school virtual classes, shadow practice every day, sleep on time and make a regular pattern, reduce screen time and make something creative - cooking, drawing, whatever interests you, try to read a story book or any book of your interest, spend quality time with your family and help out with household chores 10.Write your dairy every day recording all the above,” one of the assignment says.

 Around 80 children aged between the age of five to 18 are able to take part in the digital training sessions of expert coaches based in Qatar and also in Singapore, Germany and India. BCA, a two-year-old academy based in Ezdan Oasis in Wukair has a franchise tie up with Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma’s CricKingdom.

The BCA trainees also learn and practice new training drills and strokes learning via digital platforms, which keep the students engaged during the current period of distance learning. Each of the video, focuses on the history of the game, evolution of the cricket bat, gripping the ball, holding the ball, right postures for batting and bowling, exercises drills, fielding positions, different strokes, law of the games.

“The online course will be completed after 10 videos and we all continue to have our kids watch, practice and stay fit at home. Also, parents please continue to send the drill videos of students to our coaches,” said Rohit Sharma in a message to the students. So far CricKinggdom has uploaded seven videos on Youtube channel. Besides getting expert technical advice on the game from the experts in the field, the children are urged to explore their talents and widen their knowledge of the game and also take part in the home chores during the lockdown period as per of the home assignment.

Once the children have completed their assignments at home, they are encouraged to upload the videos the BCA WhatsApp group.

 “The assignments have been carefully designed to use items and equipment that would generally be available in the household,” Christopher Raja, a coach associated with BCA told The Peninsula.

The response has been overwhelming he said. “The students have been divided into teams and each of them have been given a particular assignment for a week, which includes they doing some research to find answers related to the game. These exercise we believe will help them on and off the field,” he added.

Another football academy Barwa City Football club (BCFC) is also into training session via video sessions. Head coach Hanson Joseph said the trainees are getting training videos which they have to do on their own. “We are sending them videos and accordingly they have to plan their drills at home. They have to record their training sessions and share the videos in the WhatsApp group of BCFC,” Hanson said. “We want our players to be fit and hopefully we will take part in an international tournament outside Qatar,” he added.

College professors begin survey of Impact of Covid-19 lock-down on Goan sportspersons

College professors begin survey of Impact of Covid-19 lock-down on Goan sportspersons 

Margao

Will the corona virus outbreak and lock down adversely affect the sporting careers and the entire sport industry in the near future that is question which has been troubling many a people who are directly and indirectly linked to it on the global stage.

In Goa it is no different, with uncertainty hanging around in the air; three physical education teachers have started a survey to study the impact the Covid-19 lock-down on training and daily routine of sportsperson and economic impact on the lockdown on the sports persons in the state.

Dr Anil Ramachandran, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Kannur University, Kerala; Dr Rajan Mathew, Director of Physical Education, Govt. College, Quepem; and Milton Fernandes, Assistant Director of Physical Education & Sports, Goa University have began a survey and got in touch with various sports persons through the state to get their feedback over the same.

“The covid-19 lockdown has posed challenges to sportsperson in terms of their training and daily routine. Being researchers in the field,  we (Dr Anil Ramachandran, Associate Professor, Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Kannur University, Kerala; Dr Rajan Mathew, Director of Physical Education, Govt. College, Quepem; and Milton Fernandes, Assistant Director of Physical Education & Sports, Goa University) are interested to know how you as a sportsperson have been able to cope with this lock-down restriction and how you are managing your training schedule and daily routine,” the three have written to different sportspersons and sought their feedback.

The sports professor’s survey focuses on many topics including the financial impact of the lockdown on their careers and the tournament or events they have missed during the Corona Virus Epidemic.

“Have you missed any important tournament/competition  you were preparing because of the lock-down?. Do you think that such loss and the lack of preparation and training during lock down will affect your sporting career at this juncture?

“Do you think that the lock down will add to the financial crisis to meet you training and competition post lock-down?,” they have asked.

The questions also touch the effect on their sporting careers post-Corona Virus.

“How much time do you think that you will require to get in shape and to the previous performance level after the lock-down period is over,” one of the questions asks the sports people.

The questions also touch on the mental health of the sports persons owing to the lack of sporting competitions.

“With uncertainty prevailing over the lock-down period, and no certainty of how long it will continue, are you facing greater mental toll (stress) in terms of keeping you motivated and fixing sporting career goal? Are you getting frustrated and depressed since you are not able to train and follow the daily routine you were following before the lock-down period?”, it adds.

The survey also seeks to know whether “there been increased or decreased engagement in the following activities - Exercise/Training, TV/Entertainment, Social media, Academic Pursuits, Business Pursuits , Online sources related to your game, Gardening, Household chores, Reading, Family time, Rest/Sleep, Other creative/innovative endeavours, Exercise/Training, TV/Entertainment, Social media, Academic Pursuits, Business Pursuits, Online sources related to your game, Gardening, Household chores, Reading, Family time, Rest/Sleep, Other creative/innovative endeavours -  during the lock-down period as compared to period before lock down?

The other questions relate to the number of training session before the lock down and during the lockdown period.

• How many sessions/hours were you practicing/playing/training before the lock-down period?

• How many hours do you train and involve in physical exercise during the lock down period ?

• What extent of training are you able to carry out during the lock-down as compared to your normal training period?

What type of training - Physical training, Skills and Technical training, Mental training, Yoga and Relaxation - do you do during the lock-down period to keep yourself fit and in shape?

• What are the different training modalities - Jogging/Running, Strength and Weight Training, Core and Stability Exercises, Circuit Training, Aerobics/Zumba and other dance forms, Yoga, Fitness training with resistance bands/Loops/Kettle-bells/Foam roller etc, Skipping - you are able to do during the lock-down period?

• Do you have advanced training facility at your home/residence during the lock down to meet your training requirements?

• What training facilities- Treadmill/ Cycle Ergometer, Multi-gym and advanced training equipment, General Weight Training Equipment, Resistance bands/Loops/Kettle-bells, etc, Skipping ropes / Cones and Training markers, Indoor Badminton Court, Outdoor Badminton Court, Courtyard, Terrace and Space inside House- do you have in your house for training?

• From where do you get training schedule - Coach,  Fitness Trainer, Coaching Academy, Friends and Peer players, Prepare on your own, From online sources from your academy/coaching center, From other online coaching sessions/videos - during the lock-down period?

• Are you regulating your dietary intake to compensate for the shortage of training and exercise?

• Are you taking assistance of a specialist dietitian to keep your body in shape and fit to re-start training post lock-down?

• Are you of the opinion that one needs to be equipped with basic training facilities and essential infrastructure at home itself to meet your training possibilities during such lock-down or emergency periods?

• If you are an injured athlete or recovering from injury/fitness issues do you have difficulties in getting assistance and support for rehabilitation and training?

Interested can fill up the form at http://forms.gle/H81zDZaTcySTZyA46

Ronaldo, Barcelona fan from India reaches out to poor people in Goa

Goan football coach along with UK and USA nationals rendering yeomen service in Palolem during lockdown

#lockdown, #Covid-19, #lockdown2020, #selfisolate, #quarantine, #lockdownextension, #lockdowndiaries, #staysafe, #21days, #lockdownday3, #stayhome, #qurantinelife, #IStayHome

A football coach, a businessman and a yoga teacher have come together under one roof in Goa. They have a common cause - reach out to the poor and needy people in the coastal beach side resort of Palolem.

Goan Akhil Pagui, UK-born Linda Russell and Andrew Mason, a UK citizen having business interests in Cambodia are on the field delivering essential food items to the needy people of Palolem ever since the lockdown was imposed.

Pagui, is a known Cristiano Ronaldo fan while Barcelona FC is his favouritie club.  He has been in to football coaching for the last one and half decade. His football coaching odessey has taken him to different part of the country. On the way he has been inspired by different football ideologies and come across varied football coaching mythologies.

But when the lockdown came calling in Palolem, he momentary set aside his football shoes. Instead for the last few weeks, distributing food grains and other essential items has become his priority.

In Palolem Beach area, one of the most popular beach in Goa, Akhil along with other local volunteers have identified around 20 families living without any financial support and who don't have money to buy provisions during the lockdown period.

“It's very challenging to those who are daily wage earners and who have absolutely no support. We have decided to provide them with support in the form of food packages and other essential items. This package will contain supplies for 10 to 15 days. Supplies will be distributed through a network of our volunteers in respective families. Cost of each packet is ₹ 1000/,” said Pagui.

 For the records, Pagui football journey started with Mumbai-based OSCAR Foundation, a organization which uses football as a platform to bring about change in the lives of the under prevailed children of the metropolis.

 Thereafter he has had coaching stings with Canacona Sports Academy (Goa), Lyceum Sports Club (Jaipur), Shanti Asiatic School (CBSE) Jaipur, Chinmaya school (Mumbai), Patel boarding school ( Gujarat , Bhachau), and  Concrete Involvement Football Academy ( C.I.F.A), his personal academy in (Vadodara Gujarat).

“CIFA aims to develop talented young footballers across India. We believe in holistic approach to football coaching development the player as well as the young person,” he said about his football academy and vision.

“CIFA understands the role sport can play in developing well rounded and successful young adults. As well as coaching football to high level CIFA also teaches children about health diet and how to build self confidence and concentration through their unique coaching games and drills,’ he added.

Working alongside and the driving force of the mission are two veteran from two different fields.

Bhakti Yogi teacher Russell has been a long time visitor to India dating back to nearly three decades while Mason, owner of franchise Big Easy Phnom Penh and Ko Rong Samloem, Cambodia, which generates money for charities in Cambodia, completes the circle. Mason has been extending his charitable hand to the India project initiated by Pagui and is a major fund raiser.

“So far we have raise rupees one lakh. More money is on the way hopefully thanks to the efforts of Linda Russell and Andrew Mason,” said Pagui.

“It’s a golden opportunity to change life to think creative or do something to stay with the family and people understand the value of food, especially the value of farmer. Everything is going to change. It's a learning of the life. How to leave peacefully. Here I'm helping  underprivileged people giving food and working as a social volunteer,” said Pagui.

Russell, stay put in Goa even as over 7,000 western tourists flew back to their respective countries via the special repartition flights arranged by the respective governments in association with their Indian counterparts.

“I have stayed back to help my Indian friend (Akhil Pagui) to feed the no income families in Palolem so they can survive this lockdown,” Linda said in response to a question.

A Bhakti Yogi for the last 26 years has so far been helping 15 to 20 families in Palolem since the first nationwide 21-day lockdown was announced on March 24 and its second extension happened till May 3, and which was further extended to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.

Linda describes Pagui as a ‘Spiderman’ ready to help people in need.

“I have met a young guy Akhil Pagui who has the rainbow above his head. Heartfelt kindness of which I have not seen in such a young chap in a long time. We are collectively are on a quiet mission here in India to help the needy. Selflessly he perseveres quietly like Spiderman with as much aid as we can help,” Linda says.

Russell says life has been hard for the local residents of Palolem residents, who have no income on their own in the lockdown period and were dependent on daily wages to keep the house fires burning.

”We shop and distribute basic staples such as fruit, vegetable, rice, flour etc. Some families went to the forest in search of food during the lockdown. We allocated families with adequate food to keep them well and healthy. Toiletries and must haves have been also been included,” she added.

Russell said her decision to stay back and help was with a view to pay back to India the country from where she has learnt many things over the years.

“Thank you India for my education of 26 years to give me an opportunity to give something good back. Love all, serve all,” she adds.

She informed that they are looking for more financial aid to help the families in the long run as they are running out of the money.

“We are raising money from the West and appealing for financial help,” she adds.

Meanwhile, American national Alexander Mark Kinaj has also joined the team and they have set up a crowdfunding appeal, details which will be shared shortly they said.

 

 

AFC Futsal instructor Joshuah Vaz conducts webinar for Goa and Maharashtra coaches

AFC Futsal instructor Joshuah Vaz conducts webinar for Goa and Maharashtra coaches

With social distancing and ban on gathering the norms of the day, many a sports associations are using the digital platform to inform and impart new training and coaching techniques to coaches.

The Goan futsal family has also adapted to the lockdown situation an

d are connecting coaches based in different parts of the state through the social networking website Zoom sessions.

Last week, Joshuah Vaz, an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) instructor conducted a webinar for over 60 coaches who are imparting Futsal training in different parts of Goa and in the second session to Futsal coaches operating in Maharashtra.

“it was good to interact with 60+ coaches in Goa session and 260+ coaches in Maharashtra session and it was a good platform to give the correct and accurate knowledge on Futsal,” said the former India Under-16 international and co-owner of Youth futsal Academy, which operates from Chowgule College ground.

“Online Zoom Webinar organised by AIFC (All India Football Coaches) & AIFF for the Coaches of India during this lockdown• I would like to thank @the_aifc & Coaches Shekar and Caetano Pinho for including FUTSAL as a topic for this programme and giving me an opportunity to present the topic to all the coaches that attended the Webinar in the GOA region. I believe that FUTSAL is the way forward to making better football players and the right knowledge and education about this sport is important,” twitted Joshua, who incidentally is the lone Futsal Level 1 instructor in the country having passed his exam in February this year.

Joshuah, a former professional footballer with I-league club Churchill Bros, also got a chance to talk on the Futsal topic with coaches working in Maharashtra.

 “I got a chance to speak on Futsal as a topic at the Online zoom Webinar organised by AIFC (All India Football Coaches) & AIFF thereby giving me an opportunity to present the topic to the 260+ coaches from Maharashtra region.

“I believe that Futsal is the way forward to making better football players and the right knowledge and education about this sport is important,” he added.

Joshua, who spent a year in Portugal in 2007-2008 season while training with Vitoria de Guimaraes club, was appreciative of the support and backing for the world most popular game from Aaditya Thackerey, who besides been an official of WIFA is a minister in the Maharashtra cabinet.

 “It was also good to see the support that the humble Mr.Aaditya Thackeray is giving to football in Mumbai and I am hoping that he soon puts his hands into bringing up t he sport of Futsal in the Indian Subcontinent,” said the 30-year-old Fatorda resident.

Joshuah webinar interaction with coaches came in for praise from one of the participant who took to twitter to give his feedback.

“@JoshuahVaz led a great session on Futsal today at #AIFCWebinar for Maharashtra coaches. He is the only AFC Futsal Instructor in our country and I have been lucky to have learnt about the game under him at @YFA_GOA previously too. Always a pleasure learning from you coach!,” wrote Surya Prakash on his twitter handle @SuryaPrakash7.

Coach Zubin tweeting on his tweeter handle @spinchronous said: “This was by far the best  @theaifc  webinar till date.  Thank you to  @DineshNair74 @AUThackeray @SuryaPrakash7 @AlexAmbrose19 & all those who made it happen.  Special thanks to  @JoshuahVaz  for an amazing intro into Futsal & hoping to attend a level 1 course in Mumbai soon.”

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