Thursday evening sees the biggest event in minifootball get under way as miniEURO 2013 kicks off.
MiniEURO brings together 24 of the best minifootball playing nations, each of whom will be looking to wrestle the title from 2012 champions Romania.
The beautiful city of Rethmyno in Crete provides the stunning backdrop, with the main pitch being situated on a specially constructed venue on the beach, but it is football that will occupy the minds of the competitors.
The tournament is blessed with a sprinkling of star names too, with Israel being coached by Itzhak Shum, who is making an emotional return to Greece, where he coached Panathinikos to an historic league and cup double back in 2004. The Austrian boss for the tournament is Krzysztof Ratajczyk, who achieved legendary status in his playing days in Vienna, while amongst the former professional players on show is ex Arsenal midfield man Paulo Vernazza, who is in the England squad for the tournament.
The first miniEURO event, in Moldova last Autumn, saw a crowd of 3000 watch the final, between Eastern European minifootball powerhouses Romania and Montenegro, whilst this year the competition promises to be even bigger, with games being shown live on television throughout Europe.
MiniEURO 2013 is being organized by the European Minifootball Federation (EMF), and their President Razvan Burleanu admitted he could not wait for the competition to start: “This has been the culmination of months of hard work on behalf of all of us, and it will be a truly magnificent spectacle of which the whole of Europe can be rightfully proud,” he said. “Minifootball is the most inclusive of sports and we look forward to welcoming everyone to play in this great event of friendship and sport.”
The tournament is being organized by the Greek Minifootball Federation and their president Thanos Papadopoulos said: “Everyone in Crete is looking forward to this so much, the beach side pitch makes this the most spectacular football event ever played and the sport will live up to the setting, I am certain!”
MiniEURO 2013 starts with an opening ceremony on Thursday 10th October and ends with a grand final on 13th.