Maldives sports minister asks Bengaluru FC to leave country
According to Jefry, the hardest part of being a professional footballer is maintaining consistency, another reason she believes is important to practise as much as possible
Farah Jefry, adidas ambassador and the first Saudi sportswoman to represent the brand in the Middle East, paid a visit to her former high school Jeddah International School, to inspire the next generation of youth to see endless possibilities.
The initiative, in collaboration with adidas, was complemented with a Q&A session with the students where she shared her experiences in “challenging the impossible” and building her current success in the athletic arena.
Jefry addressed her pursuit of her life-long passion, football, and shared her journey from joining Jeddah Eagles club in 2017 to competing in Saudi Arabia’s first women’s football league, and finishing as the league’s top goal scorer.
Speaking to the students, Jefry stated, “The slogan “Impossible Is Nothing” is a message that really resonates with me and something that I aim to keep in mind with every step of my progression as an athlete. It’s a state of mind.
Despite all the hardships, if you are passionate enough, you can do anything you want if you have the drive and dedication to strive for your goals.”
As an extension of the campaign, and to continue to inspire students at Jeddah International School to challenge the Impossible, the school’s gym facilities displays an inspirational image and quote from Jefry, stating “Where some see one path, I see the possibilities to explore new avenues.”
Yara Hashem, a graduate of Jeddah International School, asked Farah whether she faced any challenges at the start of her career, to which Jefry responded “The beginning was not easy particularly because of people who think football is “a man’s game”.
In addition, there was a lack of special sports facilities and football coaches for women. I trained at home with my father, who played a massive role in my training and development.” Jefry added.
“Nowadays, however, with global brands like adidas’ continuous efforts in empowering women in the region, and the Kingdom’s 2030 vision to create more opportunities for women, more people are supporting and encouraging females in sports.”
Commenting on her future ambitions, Jefry said: “I aspire to represent the Saudi national team and work to help my team win more competitions.”
Jefry who started playing football a decade ago, told Arab News recently that she had always dreamt of playing professionally.
For Jefry, reaching this point in her career was not always easy, even if she had known she wanted to play since she was a child.
“I have been training with the Jeddah Eagles Ladies’ Football Club for almost 3 years,” she said.
“At first it was tough because I was one of the youngest members on the team and playing with people who were a lot more experienced compared to me,” she told Arab News.”
However, Jefry took the experience as an opportunity to learn from the team’s older members, in addition to practicing at home to improve her basic skills.
“It has become a lifestyle now, and walking around with a football all day is normal for me nowadays,” she said, as per the Arab News report.
According to Jefry, the hardest part of being a professional footballer is maintaining consistency, another reason she believes is important to practise as much as possible.
Jefry also counts herself lucky to have a great support system in the form of her family and friends, and says that those closest to her have always known how badly she wanted to play football at a professional level, doing whatever they could to help her make that dream a reality.
However, she says that she has had to deal with her fair share of critics, particularly those who think that there is no room for women in the sport.
NEW DELHI: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Sunday announced to postpone the AFC Cup Group D matches in Maldives ater three Bengaluru FC players allegedly breached Covid-19 protocols.
Bengaluru FC were scheduled to face local club Eagles FC in a playoff match ater which the Group D matches were scheduled to start on May 14 with fellow Indian Super League (ISL) side ATK Mohun Bagan facing the winners of the playoff.
“Participating clubs which have travelled to Maldives will be required to arrange for their return home while adhering to the Covid-19 health and travel protocols put in place by the country. At the same time, the AFC is in contact with all other participating clubs and officials who have not entered Maldives to cancel their travel arrangements,” said the AFC.
“The AFC Cup (South) group stage matches are now postponed until further notice with more information to be announced in due course,” it added.
Local media reported that BFC players, who had reached Maldives on Friday, were seen on the Male streets, which was not permited as they were given special permission to be there despite the ban on tourists from India because of a COVID-19 surge.
Earlier, Maldives’ Sports Minister Ahmed Mahloof condemned Bengaluru FC for breaching the guidelines issued by the country’s Health Protection Agency as well the AFC.
Mahloof did not describe the nature of the breach but termed Bengaluru’s behaviour as “unacceptable”, saying the club has to leave Maldives “immediately”.
“Unacceptable behaviour from @bengalurufc breaching the strict guidelines from HPA & @ theafcdotcom. The club should leave (Maldives) immediately as we can’t entertain this act. We honoured the commitment we gave a few months back even with the surge in cases & pressure from the public,” Mahloof tweeted.
His tweets came ater local media reported that a few Bengaluru FC players were spoted in the streets and also posted photos of the players. Mahloof said in a tweet later that the government has informed the Football Association of Maldives ( FAM) that the match cannot go ahead and will later ask the Asian Football Confederation to postpone the group stage matches scheduled to be held in the country ater the game.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC owner Parth Jindal apologised on Sunday, stating that three of the club’s “foreign players/staff” were responsible for the breach.