F1 FOOTBALL MANIA
Packed lineup for ITHMAAR Group Yalla Bahrain! F1 Football Fives
Manama 09th February 2008: The ITHMAAR Group Yalla Bahrain! F1 Football Fives
event, one of the high points of the calendar of cultural and community events
supporting this year’s Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, was an enormous success
today. Crowds streaming into the Bahrain International Circuit on Public Day of
Formula One testing witnessed action, drama and a wealth of goals from the 30
team five-a-side football tournament.
Almost the entire community in the Kingdom was represented among the teams for
the ITHMAAR Group Yalla Bahrain! F1 Football Fives including last year’s winners
BBK 1, Yalla Bahrain! sponsor ITHMAAR Group, Bahrain F1 Grand Prix sponsors Gulf
Air, travel experts Kanoo, NYIT and Ahlia universities and media moguls Gulf
Weekly.
In a great occasion for all the family the event featured stilt walkers, a
bouncy castle, face painting, world famous football free-styler Dan Magness,
children’s area and family entertainment while the Formula One cars flew round
the BIC.
The footballers themselves mixed with local Bahraini football team Al-Najma,
including leading player Rashid Jamal Salim and captain Abdulrahman AbdulKarim.
The ITHMAAR Group sponsored team passed on tips to budding professional
footballers and enjoyed an impromptu kick about with Dan Magness.
After a day of frenzied football playing Bapco was the team to immerge
victorious. Things reached fever pitch during the two semi finals, the first
between the BIC Conquerors and Euromotors. After twelve action packed minutes of
bold moves and one sending off the BIC Conquerors came out on top and progressed
to the final. Meanwhile the second semi-final was just as frantic between Bapco
and the Immortals, at the final whistle it was two goals apiece so the match was
decided by penalties. Bapco showed their sporting talent and ended the penalty
shootout three goals to two.
The final between Bapco and the BIC Conquerors was somewhat one-sided as Bapco
took an early lead. At the final whistle it was Bapco three, the BIC Conquerors
nil; Bapco walked away with the winners trophy and the BIC Conquerors were
resigned to second place. In the playoffs the Immortals put away four goals to
Euromotors one taking third place overall and the final trophy of the day.
The ITHMAAR Group Yalla Bahrain! programme of cultural and community events
continues tomorrow with the launch of F1 Paint Bahrain. F1 Paint Bahrain will
see schools, universities, businesses and clubs from across the Kingdom coming
together for an artistic challenge. Last year a giant collage of images
celebrating Formula One in Bahrain dominated the skyline at the Al Aali Mall
after more than 80 individual canvasses were painted – and this year Bahrain is
going 2D!
