Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
Fresh from their victory in the first-ever edition of the Red Bull Four 2 Score, 4 Guys have an amateur football world title in their sights following victory at the Arada Hub in Sharjah.
After seeing off competition from across the Emirates in the new and innovative 4 vs 4 tournament the local team, known as 4 Guys, will head to the home of German league giants, RB Leipzig, for the World Final later this year where they will face off against 25 other national qualifiers.
Sure to help support the team in their quest for global glory will be past experience. Their captain and Dubai Police employee, 29-year-old Said Nasir, is practically a veteran having represented the UAE in Red Bull amateur football World Finals in Brazil and Qatar, with a trip to Leipzig next on the list.
Nasir commented, “I still can’t believe we won! This format is so exciting, the final match really went right down to the wire, we won it in the last second! Now we travel to Germany and I feel privileged to be wearing the UAE badge all across the globe once again.”
The all-new tournament comes with a special twist in upping the ante in the first and last minute of the ten-minute matches when goals count double.
Egyptian international Taher Mohammed Taher certainly enjoyed the action, the Red Bull athlete couldn’t believe how quickly the game changed, “The rules are a serious addition they really change the game making it more and more intense. You love to watch and play these kinds of games. I will be following these guys for sure, I wish them all the best and after I saw the final all I hope is that they stay focused and play ‘til the last minute because everything can change in a second!”
The rules and concept of the tournament are designed to allow participants to experience Red Bull’s unique “power football” philosophy firsthand. In the first and last 60 seconds of the 10-minute matches, teams of 4 and 1 substitute get to have their goals doubled. There are no breaks or goalies, just the need to score when it matters! Both male and female players between the ages of 16 and 35 can participate in the tournament.
The UAE qualifier is the world’s first Red Bull Four 2 Score event which saw 10 qualifiers take place across the country.
Similar qualification tournaments will run globally with Kenya, Maldives, Mauritius and New York up next.