World cup after-effects will be felt as Mumbai Kids set to go WAKA WAKA
World cup after-effects will be felt as Mumbai Kids set to go WAKA WAKA
The 2010 FIFA World Cup may be over, but the frenzy is all set to spill on to Azad Maidan today where the annual Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school football league kicks off.
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| up, up and away! Defending champions Don Bosco (Matunga) practice at their school ground on the eve of the MSSA Division I U-16 Super League inter-school football tournament. PICs/ ATUL KAMBLE |
Over 180 city schools have registered for the annual competition divided according to different age groups and spread across the next few months. A significant development has been the increase in the number of girl's teams to 44 from the 38 teams that participated last year. MSSA football secretaryu00a0 Xavier Faria attributes this to the rise in the popularity of the game thanks to the recently concluded World Cup. "The fact that there have been six new girls teams is great news. The number could only swell further as we are still accepting registration forms given the addition of some new schools. I'm sure the World Cup will serve as a strong inspiration to participants this year," said Faria.
Meanwhile, the schools are geared up for action. Under-16 Super League defending champions Don Bosco (Matunga) coach Leslie Machado believes his side this year is even better than last year's champion outfit. "We have got a good new bunch of players. In fact, it's a much better team than last year. The boys are very enthusiastic and excited to get on the field after watching the World Cup matches. I'm confident we will do well again," said Machado.
Meanwhile, the U-16 runner-up St Stanislaus (Bandra) are not all that confident. Coach Hyacinth Cardoz said, "We have lost a lot of our good players, some of whom have passed out of school, while others are in a crucial year and so for them football takes a back seat. Tuition classes are priority. Our current team has been practising with just six to seven players."
St Francis D'Assisi (Borivli) coach Thomas Barretto was also unsure about his side's chances. "I do not rate my team's chances too high this season. The boys are not yet into the groove though it's still early days in the season," said Barretto.
Bombay Scottish (Mahim) coach Adip Kenkre wants his boys to ape the young German World Cup squad. "We have a well balanced team and I hope they can emulate the young and spirited German side, who they admire so much" said Kenkre.
Looks like the young Messis,u00a0 Kakas and Muellers are all set to waka-waka!
