An exciting new twist to football

Red Bull Winning 5

Hyderabad Avengers strike in inaugural edition

Budding footballers, enthusiasts and fans of the beautiful game are fortunate that Hyderabad has been selected as one of the eight cities in India to have the privilege of hosting the exhilarating version of the game; Red Bull Winning 5, a one-of-a-kind tournament in the year is debuting in the country.

There is more to the game than merely “bending it like Beckham”. Not surprisingly there was an overwhelming response when the Hyderabad leg of the exciting event was held over the weekend at Hotfut Football Arena atop the iconic White House in Begumpet.

The unique five-on-five sport that is devoid of any custodian is played for ten minutes although it has the FIFA regulations in place when it comes to yellow and red carding. Not surprisingly, it is evolving as an incredible alternative to the equally popular mini-football and Futsal versions. Although most European nations are witnessing a rising popularity in the 50+ age-group, which is mostly as a fitness regimen, the Indian event is restricted to players in the 16 to 25 years age-group.

Explaining the salient features, the organisers said that when a team scores a goal its captain has to choose a player from the opposite team to leave the field. A penalty shootout will be the decider if the regulation time gets over without any clear-cut winner. In another interesting innovation, the penalty shot is taken by the player from the penalty spot and there will be no goal-keeper to man the post.

The sport seems to be gradually catching up in Hyderabad, if the response to the competitions is a pointer. That it is played indoors and on top of the buildings is adding to the youthful zest.

The other city from South Zone is Bengaluru. Besides the two, others cleared to host the zonal legs include New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Goa and Guwahati. The top team from each city will proceed to the National Finals. Top eight teams from the country will then battle it out to emerge as the first Red Bull Winning 5 India champion.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad Avengers, made it to the national reckoning after having come up trumps over 103 contenders with clinical precision. Ten minutes of mesmerising football may sound too short in the eyes of purists, a la T20 and Test cricket, but to hundreds of players this hardly mattered.

Their passion for the sport was paramount and distinctly on show and as much competitively deep-rooted. This became evident when each player tried to put his best foot forward either while dribbling, passing or scoring a goal to corner glory.

There was verve, drama, excitement and nerve-wrecking last-minute tension as befits a regular football cliff-hanger in the outdoors. The final showdown between the eventual champion and PSC2 went to the wire when it was goal-less after ten minutes of intense battle and also on the conclusion of penalties.

Simply put, either contender could fancy its chance after the score read 0-0 and 5-all. In a match where it was difficult to predict the winner, Hyderabad Avengers ended the pulsating encounter in the sudden death with a golden goal.

The sport and Red Bull Winning 5 were the winners on a day of dramatic developments that concluded in the wee hours. The players will have long-lasting memories to cherish from the inaugural edition.

By Sridhar K Penna