The first Mina Cup youth football tournament in Dubai included sides bearing the names of Barcelona, Manchester City and La Liga.
It attracted champion teams from Mexico, the UK and Austria. Some of the players involved had been hand-picked and coached by the former Real Madrid Champions League winner Michel Salgado.
And yet the most dominant side anywhere in it were a set of kids from India, all of whom were making their first trip outside of their home country, having secured passports especially for it.
On the opening day of the Under 12 event, Minerva Academy, from India’s Punjab region, trounced Barcelona Academy.
In Monday night’s final in Jebel Ali, they thrashed Dubai-based La Liga Academy 4-0. In between, they did not concede a goal.
“I cannot believe we have won a tournament involving Barca, La Liga, Man City – it doesn’t feel like real life,” said Yoihenba Khwairakpam, Minerva’s goalkeeper.
“This is my first time outside India. When we were leaving, I was feeling nervous and excited that I was going outside our country and playing for our nation.
“We have the India flag on our shirt and we feel like we are representing our country as well as our academy.”
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Khwairakpam, who was first introduced to the game and the wonders of Cristiano Ronaldo by his father who was also an ex-footballer, is from Manipur, one of India’s football hotbeds.
The players are scouted from five regions in the country, with 90 per cent of the academy’s current intake originating from India’s north east.
“Football is a unique sport and I love it very much, especially when we play a tournament with the support we get,” said Ishan Saikia, a 10-year-old who has been with the Minerva Academy for three years after moving from his home in Assam.
“We feel like we are playing for our country. In cricket, you can hit the ball with the bat, but it is not like scoring a goal in football, or when the fans scream, ‘goal!’ We are very proud to win.”
In all, the tour to Dubai – including the administration of passport applications for all the players - cost the academy around $30,000.
A crowd funding campaign brought in around $1,000 of that, with the academy’s owner, Ranjit Bajaj, covering the remaining costs.
“The only difference between us and the other teams is these guys are on 100 per cent scholarships,” Bajaj said.
“They don’t pay even one single rupee. We take care of their food, stay and education. That is my personal dream.
“It is about getting India to the World Cup in 2034. It is a 15-year plan, and it is two years old.
“All the money I earn from my business, I put in here. There is no profit coming in. But hopefully one of these guys will be the next Mohamed Salah.”
It is about getting India to the World Cup in 2034. It is a 15-year plan, and it is two years old
Academy owner Ranjit Bajaj
Bajaj said his academicians are taught the methods of top European football sides from the age of seven.
“If you give Messi the ball for the first time at the age of 40, he will never be Messi,” Bajaj said.
“You have to start young. The reason you saw the difference in standard in this tournament is because these boys play all day with senior players, and they have been doing so since they were eight, nine, 10.
“This is unlike any football ever seen in India before. In terms of the way they play, what you see here is exactly what you see in top European clubs.
“If we keep doing this, you don’t need 1.3 billion people, you just need the right 30. Work on them, give them exposure every year, and we will get there. We have won a lot of national titles back at home, but I don’t think that is legacy.
“Legacy is getting your team to the World Cup. We are really far behind, and this is the only way we can catch up.”
Minerva Academy’s home base is a 25-acre campus in Punjab, with three full-size football fields, seven for seven-a-side, a gym and rehab and physiotherapy department.
He says, though, that his players have had their eyes opened by what they have seen at the Mina Cup.
“We play on natural grass at home, but these facilities here are world class,” he said of the Jebel Ali Centre of Excellence.
“That gives such an uplift to our players. Why? Because they know if they make it in life, this is what is waiting for them.
“The hunger for someone who is in Dubai or someone in Europe is not so great because they are used to this lifestyle.
“For these players, it is heaven. They have never been to these sort of facilities, or anywhere close to this.”
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Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
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TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
POSSIBLE ENGLAND EURO 2020 SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Dean Henderson.
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Joe Gomez, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Ben Chilwell, Fabian Delph.
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Harry Winks, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Forwards: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars
Company profile
Name: Thndr
Started: October 2020
Founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: pre-seed of $800,000
Funding stage: series A; $20 million
Investors: Tiger Global, Beco Capital, Prosus Ventures, Y Combinator, Global Ventures, Abdul Latif Jameel, Endure Capital, 4DX Ventures, Plus VC, Rabacap and MSA Capital
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
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- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
