Minifootball Championship among International Students Finished at SUSU

On September 28th and 29th, a minifootball championship among international students of South Ural State University took place. This year, there were competing 12 teams, 4 of which became laureates.

This isn’t the first year that the Associate of International Students arranges the minifootball tournament in the frameworks of extracurricular activity of international students. The competition is held twice a year: in the autumn and in the spring. In the autumn, the competition is held within the university among the teams consisting of international students. In the spring, the competition goes to a new level, and our athletes compete against teams of international students from other universities.

This year, competing groups had been formed as follows:

Group А ‒ Africa and Tajikistan 1;

Group В ‒ Turkmenistan and Iraq;

Group C ‒ Arab countries, China and Uzbekistan;

Group D ‒ Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan 2 and Yemen.

In the result of close competition, the teams of Tajikistan 1 and Arab countries, Iraq and Yemen, Africa and Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan 2 made it to 1/4 finals. The teams competed for the chance to play in semifinals. By the results of the matches, the following 4 teams competed on the second day of the championship: Iraq versus the team of Arab countries and Tajikistan 2 versus the team of Uzbekistan. The final match was held between the teams of Iraq and Uzbekistan, in which Iraq won scoring 2:0.

Referees have announced the result:

1st place ‒ Iraq

2nd place ‒ Uzbekistan

3rd place ‒ Tajikistan 2

4th place ‒ Arab countries

“The tournament was quite intense and difficult for me as for a referee. In my country, I have already acted as organiser and referee in matches, but here I’ve done this for the first time. I can say that the team of Iraq wasn’t the only strongest team; there were other teams deserving the victory, which have automatically qualified from Group B after the game in order to determine the winner. We held this minifootball tournament in order to let international students get familiar with each other. We are different but I think that we are united by our friendship,” says chief referee of the tournament, Ismail Kundi.

Let us note that the minifootball tournament has been created by staff members of the Association of International Students in order to attract international students to social activities and give them the possibility to exercise their favorite sports at their free time in comfortable conditions.

“This was my first experience of arranging a tournament for international students. There was no evident leader in this championship: all the teams had their strong and weak points. The result of every match could have changed at any moment. We congratulate the team of Iraq on the victory, and the teams of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on their good performance. Thanks to all teams for participation!” says Khusrav Ganjov, sports organiser of AIS.

Aside from the minifootball championship, AIS staff members monthly arrange other sports competitions in basketball, volleyball, cue sports, badminton, table tennis, and shooting.

Marina Kovyazina; photos by Uvindu Wijeweera
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