JEDDAH: Freestyle football players and enthusiasts across Saudi Arabia are in a mood of excitement, intensified preparations and exercises as the countdown has begun for Saudi qualifiers of Red Bull Street Style World Championship. Their preparations are aimed to develop and sharpen their skills with an eye on the title of the best Saudi football freestyler. The title will qualify the player to the finals of Red Bull Street Style in South Africa in April.
Championship organizers told the media in Jeddah on Tuesday that more than 350 football freestylers have already submitted their applications to participate in the qualifying rounds, hosted by five Saudi cities during February.
The Saudi qualifiers will be launched in Riyadh at the Al-Yamamah University on Feb. 8 and then at Tamimi Mall on Al-Dhabab Street on Feb. 10. The final qualifications of the Central Province will be held at Localizer Mall on Feb. 12.
Qualification fever will next move to the Eastern Province, at Amazon-Aziziya cafe on Feb. 13 and at Derby cafe on Dammam Corniche on Feb. 15. The final qualifications of the Eastern Province will take place at Rashid Mall complex in Dhahran on Feb. 17. The conclusion of the preliminary rounds qualification in the Western Province will be held at Wehda Club in Makkah on Feb. 19, Madinah’s Joffreys Cafe at Sultana complex in Feb. 20, and in Jeddah at Virgin on Feb. 21, King Abdul Aziz University on Feb. 22 and Gold’s Gym on Feb. 24. The registration is still open.
Chris Njokona, South Africa’s champion in 2008, and his compatriot and current champion Kamal Rntchod, will head the judging committee in each city that hosts the qualifying rounds. They will also present several freestyle performances on the sidelines of the qualifications in the most remarkable venue in each city.
On Feb. 25, the best 32 football freestylers in the preliminary rounds of all the regions of Saudi Arabia will participate in the final qualifying rounds for the Red Bull Street Style Champion, which will be held at the Red Sea Mall complex in Jeddah. Well-known Dutch player Edgar Davids, midfielder Ajax Amsterdam and former star of clubs AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur, will head the judging committee for the final.
The idea of Red Bull Free Street Style is based on two players in each round giving their best skills in ‘dancing the ball, for a period of three minutes on the round-shaped stage with a diameter of 7 meters. Each competitor, gets 20 seconds to show his skills with the ball before passing it to the opponent, who in turn begins showing his art for another 20 seconds.
He then returns the ball to the first opponent and so on until the end of the allotted three minutes. Participants spontaneously dance with the ball. The assessment is based on three criteria: Balance and ball control, high style and creative movements.
