The prestigious football tournament, Socca World Cup is one of the biggest 6-a-side football competitions. Organized by the International Socca Federation (ISF), the Socca World Cup 2022 was held in Hungary with the support of Govt. of Hungary.
This year 42 countries including India, participated in the tournament. Founded in 2017 by national operators of small-sided socca leagues from across Europe and Asia, the International Federation runs continental and worldwide cup competitions for national teams, as well as Champions league competitions for club teams. It was launched at a grand ceremony held in Birmingham the following year. The week-long tournament, which is the biggest in the world, featured the best national 6-a-side teams from across the globe. The first Socca World Cup was held in the year 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal. Since then, Socca World Cup is being organized every year and has witnessed the participation of football teams across the world.
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The Socca World Cup 2022 in Budapest, Hungary was held on 10th September and 18th September 2022. The 2022 6-a-side World Cup took place in the beautiful, historic city of Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. Located on the Danube river, Budapest is positioned on the edge of Eastern Europe, making it easily accessible to countries across the world. It is a culturally rich city with many historic landmarks, including the Hungarian parliament meeting and the Fisherman’s Bastion. Socca Hungary, Leisure Leagues, and the ISF invested heavily in the event to help ensure the highest level of event production.
This year, footballer Shahib got the opportunity to participate in the Indian Team at the Socca World Cup. The International Socca Federation (ISF) is the industry-leading organizer of international small-sided football competitions for both national teams and club teams in the formats of 5,6, 7, and 8-a-side football. Born at JP Nagar 7th Phase Bangalore, the 27 years old footballer comes from middle-class family background. His father Ameer Konnur Bashir runs a dry fruit shop. Shahib recalls his struggling years with teary eyes saying,” I missed golden opportunities many times due to one or the other reasons, I remember when I got the chance to play at 2016 Chennai City FC, but due to my hard luck I guess, I got muscle pull on my thigh. But this was not once, this happened to me back to back because I got an ankle tendon injury again in 2018. Nevertheless, I got over all of these and I think I came back stronger than ever.” Shahib further quotes,” Football for me is much more than earning name, fame, or money. Football makes me alive, it allows me to be social with people, and above all it makes me stay in shape.”
Sharing his experience of participating in the Socca World Cup, Shahib says, “For me, it was an amazing and a whole new experience. It is always challenging to play against different countries, as players from different countries have different game strategies. We played our first match against Libya, the second match against France, the third match against Kazakhstan, 4th match against Italy, and the fifth match against Switzerland. Team India was in group E. I found the first two matches a little difficult and at the same time disappointed as our team could not manage to score goals. Nevertheless, we practiced well for the next two days and revived ourselves while playing against Bulgaria. The best part of the tournament was to see the whole crowd cheering up for me when I took a shot on target and one beautiful nutmeg against the team of Kazakhstan. I aim to work even harder this time and give my hundred percent, so that I can perform my best in the Socca World Cup, hopefully, next year”.
Shahib started his football career with Kodagu League and is currently playing for ADE football club super division at Karnataka state football association. Shahib also runs his football club since 2006 and is the founder and owner of Blue Stars FC Bangalore, where Blue Stars is playing Karnataka youth league and C division in Bangalore. Shahib represented India as a Vice Captain in Socca World Cup 2022. “Somebody gives you an opportunity, say yes to it. So what if you fail? you won’t know if you fail or succeed unless you try.” —Ann Meyers. This famous quote aptly describes Shahib Somvarpet Ameer.
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