Brazil are still supreme on sand

Ahmed Rizvi

• Last Updated: November 24. 2009 5:27PM UAE / November 24. 2009 1:27PM GMT

DUBAI // From the opening day of the Beach Soccer World Cup, there was a certain inevitability about Brazil winning the title.

With their class and confidence, they looked destined to be the champions and from start to finish of the tournament not a soul could be heard mentioning any other name for the crown.

But to see them celebrating on Sunday night, after their fourth consecutive conquest, you would have thought it was their first triumph, and that it had come against insurmountable odds.

Still barefoot as they climbed to the VIP stands to collect their medals, they burst into an impromptu song as the Swiss team they had just beaten 10-5 in the final were presented with their runners-up awards.

Jumping up and down like excited teenagers, the exuberant Brazilians then trooped onwards to collect their own medals.

“It always feels like the first time, and that is what keeps us going. If we lose this feeling, we would lose the motivation to win,” said their defender Daniel.

“There should be no doubt that we are the best in the world. This is the fourth time we have won the title and the all the fans in the stand were able to see how good we are. Now we will try to do exactly the same [in the next tournament]. We want to keep this feeling alive, keep winning trophies, keep coming back to the World Cup and conquering the teams.”

Daniel and his teammates, though, will have to wait until 2011 for their next World Cup party as Fifa have decided to have the championship every two years instead of annually.

“We won’t have a World Cup, but we will still be training hard, playing matches and other tournaments so that we can go to the next World Cup stronger than we are at this moment,” said Benjamin, the Brazil captain.

“Beach soccer is our life and we cannot spend a day without it. We want to play well and entertain the fans, and still win every game.

“The strength of our team lies in the bond we share. We are one, both on the pitch and off it. This is the secret of our success.”

The Swiss enjoyed a similar camaraderie in their squad and that perhaps explains their success in the tournament. Nestled in the Alps without a shoreline within 100 of miles of their border, the runners-up were a bit like the 1988 Jamaican Winter Olympics bobsled team immortalised in the film Cool Runnings.

Leading them from the front was a name known to followers of international football, Dejan Stankovic. He is no relation to his Serbian namesake, who plays for Inter Milan, but the Swiss Stankovic lit up the Beach Soccer World Cup with some spectacular goals, which brought him both the Golden Shoe and Golden Ball awards for the tournament.

“Nobody expected us to reach the final, but we knew we could do it,” said the 24-year-old, who was the tournament’s top scorer with 16 goals. “We were confident as we had worked hard for the tournament.

“We are satisfied. It’s OK for me. It is not easy playing against Brazil. They are a wonderful team. But we are second best in the world and I am delighted with that. I am also happy for the individual awards.”

Stankovic’s teammate Stephan Meier was a lot more delighted. Sporting shoulder-length braided hair until the semi-final, he had shaved it off before the Brazil game to keep a pledge he made to his friends.

“I made a promise to my friends that if we reach the final here, I will shave off my head,” he said. “I am missing my hair, but the joy of reaching the final is much greater.

“The next World Cup is two years away and I hope we will qualify again. By then, my hair will certainly be long again.”

The loss of his braids did not stop Meier from letting his hair down as he joined partying fans under a spectacular laser and fireworks show which brought the curtain down on the World Cup.

The tournament director, Salah Tahlak, was beaming as he enjoyed the spectacle. He had thought getting fans into the stadium would he his biggest challenge, but for most of the week hundreds had to be turned away as it was packed.

Those who got seats were well entertained, and it will be hard to forget Brazil’s artistry.



arizvi@thenational.ae