“Everything I had as a Brazilian football player I owed to the game of futsal”,  ZICO, Footballing Legend.

The 2009 edition of the tournament was the 3^rd edition of this futsal tournament. The past 2 editions have had their fair share of memorable moments. This year was no different with over 50 football enthusiasts participating in the tournament. The reason for this event generating so much buzz is ‘footer volley’. Every IIMCian worth his salt has experienced the game in one way or the other. Having either played it for hours or cheering and ‘sledging’ in the high intensity footer volley tournaments across the hostels. Hence the evolution of futsal on campus was a logical extension of this passion.

The 2009 edition of Joka Rimet Cup had 8 teams participating for the coveted crown. To make the event competitive, there was a restriction of the number of college football team players in every team. The venue for the event was the Basketball court under lights. It was an ideal setup since the court already had all the required markings and made my life (as the organizer and referee) easier. The red and green jerseys for the competing teams added ‘colour’ to the event. Not to mention, it helped in attracting greater attention by making every passer-by stop and watch the spectacle. The teams played their part by displaying some breathtaking skills on the court. Futsal is definitely one of those sports which test your team-skills. Five guys trying to build a game by passing the ball really fast on a small platform and all focussed on a single ‘Goal’. Well, that’s one management skills you won’t learn in the classroom.

The matches were played at a fast pace with the goals frequency increasing as the teams reached the serious end of the tournament. The semi-finalists were Joka Bonito, TeamWH, Fighters and my own team, Furious Reds. The Fighters literally had to fight it out to reach the semi-finals having eliminated another team on sudden death penalties as both the teams had equal number of points after league matches. Joka Bonito and Team WH played the Final with the former emerging as the Champions.  The winners had a potent strike force which lived up to its reputation by scoring the maximum number of goals scored by any team in the tournament.

The event had passion, elation as well as disappointment. On the whole it was an event that everyone enjoyed- the players as well as the spectators. Thanks to everyone involved for making it an event to cherish and special thanks to Rakesh Pai and Akhil Kulkarni for the help extended to organize the event and refereeing through the some high-tension matches.

For JokaTimes,

Sports Secretary Akshat Patil