Team Saudi Arabia for the Intellectually Impaired, beat Netherlands 1-0 after extra-time, in a closely contested final match of the fifth INAS-FID World Football Championships held at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, Limpopo province on Saturday, 11 September 2010.
The goal came in the 110th minute from the boot of Omer Kaseer, after his team was denied by the goalposts on two previous attempts. The two teams also met during the 2006 INAS-FID World Football Championships hosted by Germany, where Saudi Arabia won on penalties.
Speaking at the farewell function hosted by the Limpopo MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Ms Joyce Mashamba in Polokwane after the final match, all the visiting countries thanked Limpopo for the good reception and promised to return for a visit.
MEC Mashamba praised the police for once again doing a sterling job in ensuring the safety of both the participating teams and the fans. She also thanked South Africans "for coming out in numbers to support the tournament despite Team South Africa’s early exit".
Commenting on the success of the tournament, Sport and Recreation Minister, Reverend Makhenkesi Stofile congratulated Saudi Arabia and said that the support by South Africans "bodes well for our efforts towards increasing participation in sport and recreation".
This year's final match saw the dismissal of the goal scorer, Omer Kaseer, after he invited the second yellow card by taking off his shirt while celebrating his goal, and Netherlands' Joendry Constantia, who received his marching orders (straight red), seconds before the final whistle.
Netherlands reached the finals by beating Portugal 6-2 in the semi-finals, while Saudi Arabia beat Poland 4-2. Poland won third place in the losers' final by beating Portugal 5-2.
Saudi Arabia's win brought to a close, a tournament that ran from 23 August to 11 September, with 11 countries including South Africa, participating.
The tournament that saw South Africa booted out in the quarterfinals by
Netherlands, and ending an overall seventh place (ahead of France, Turkey, Japan, and South Korea), was played in Mankweng, Seshego, Polokwane, NkowaNkowa, and Giyani.
Japan won the Fair Play Award, having finished the tournament with three yellow cards and one red. Saudi Arabia's Mayed Alawsari won the Player of the Tournament Award; the Golden Boot went to Portugal's Guilherme Silva, with 10 goals (five of the goals scored in a match against South Korea); the Golden Glove went to Saudi Arabia's Goalie, Ahmed Al Rashid; while Manager of the Tournament was won by Germany's Robert Viogtsberger; and Referee of the Tournament trophy went to Robert Sithole of South Africa.
The eleven teams that participated in the fifth INAS-FID World Championships in order of their final positions are: Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Hungary, Germany, South Africa, France, Turkey, Japan, and South Korea.
For enquiries:
Manase Makwela
Cell: 082 782 1759
E-mail: manase@srsa.gov.za
