School teaches the 'Brazilian way'

As far as young soccer players here are concerned, Brazil has already won the World Cup. Well, at least the Makaraba Mini World Cup.

Organised by the South African Consulate, the Home Affairs Bureau and the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA), the 7-a-side tournament took place on June 6 and saw teams of under-12s wearing their national colours and taking to the field to represent the countries of Hong Kong's various international schools and international residents.

Representing Brazil were future stars from the Brazilian Soccer School. The school has been teaching soccer the 'Brazilian way' in Hong Kong for 6 1/2years, and more than 500 students attend training sessions and play for the school's various squads.

'The World Cup always attracts more children to the sport, and it's a great way for those in Hong Kong to get out of their apartments and play in a team sport that involves team building skills, exercise and fun,' says Paul Smith, coach and owner of the school.

The school teaches Futebol de Salao, a 5-a-side version of the sport using a smaller, heavier ball than usual, which has little bounce. It's a style of soccer which helped some of Brazil's greatest players become superstars: Pele, Zico, Juninho and Ronaldo were brought up playing Futebol de Salao before moving on to the conventional game. 'We coach children up to 14 years old,' Smith says. 'It's a popular sport with both boys and girls, and we've had lots of successes, with one of our boys [being] offered a scholarship to West Ham.'

The first Brazilian Soccer School was opened in Britain in 1996, and there are now schools in 63 countries. International tournaments are arranged between the schools and other clubs, with one of the most recent heralding a new star from Hong Kong. Tiga Mertens was awarded the accolade of Most Valuable Player at the prestigious IP Global International Soccer 7's HKJL Invitational Tournament.