Teens’ iron nerves secure football victories

55 teams competed in the Schools Football Cup in Dubai.

LFIGP boys U16s celebrate their tournament victory in an action packed day for young footballers. Victor Besa for The National

DUBAI // Goalkeeper Tamara Mrad kept her nerve and helped her team win a football cup final in a 55-team schools tournament in Dubai yesterday.

The 15-year-old Lebanese-French student at the Lycee Francais International Georges Pompidou (LFIGP) saved two penalties and scored the winner of the Dubai Schools Football Cup girls finals game at Sports City.

“I’m happy we won but I couldn’t have done it without my team,” she said. “I didn’t sleep much last night because I was very stressed about today but it turned out OK.”

Tamara was one of the students thrilled to have won in their categories, which included boys under 12, 14, 16 and girls under 17 competitions. The campaign started in January.

Omar Mohammed Qassem, from the National Charity School, was a winner in the under 12 category.

“I didn’t do it alone, I had a whole team with me and that’s the reason I succeeded,” said the 11-year-old Syrian. “I started playing football at four years old. I’d love to pursue this as a career later in life as my uncle was a coach in the Syrian national team and now he is in Qatar training another club, so it runs in the family.”

Hussein Murad, chief executive of Inspiratus, the company behind the tournament, said last year attracted 50 schools.

“It’s getting bigger and better. We have more teams and more talent coming,” he said.

The winning teams will travel to the UK and a training camp at Manchester United.

“They also get to watch the Manchester derby on April 12,” Mr Murad said. “The under 12’s are too small to go so they benefit from training here.”