Brothers selected for Yes Cup in Italy
OMAR and Mohamed Yusuf Mia along with some of their Durban Lyons soccer team members have been selected to compete at the Yes Cup tournament in Milan, Italy.
The team is set to represent South Africa in April.
Omar, 10, who is in Grade 5, attends Hartley Road Primary School, while Mohamed, 8, who is in Grade 3, attends Madressah Islahul Muslimeen. The boys live in Overport with their parents, Mohamed Thaha Mia, a handyman and Aaliyah Mia, a baker.
She said the boys have been playing soccer from a young age.
“Omar started playing at the age of 4. He was the youngest African Muslim soccer player at his school, and Mohamed started playing for Hartley FC at the age of 5. He joined his brother at Hartley FC.
“Their dad used to practise on the grounds daily with them until coach Haroon Dawood spotted them, and they were both scouted for Durban Lyons.
“Omar trains every day at home and three days at Durban Lyons on the Bluff. He has learnt to balance his academics and soccer.
“Mohamed started training with his bigger brothers, Yaseen and Omar, which helped him become an excellent midfielder. So now Yusuf trains daily with his brothers and attends Lyons training three days a week.”
The brothers share the same passion for soccer.
“Both their hobbies are playing soccer and watching soccer. Their favourite soccer star is Mohamed Salah of Liverpool.
“Omar’s dream is to one day be a professional soccer player, and Mohamed’s dream is to become a Moulana while playing professional soccer. Clearly, soccer is in their future” said Aaliyah.
“When we found out in December that our boys were selected, it was both stressful and blissful. As parents, we were excited and proud that they have been given this opportunity to show other countries their talent. Also, knowing our boys have been scouted and selected out of so many boys in Durban made me proud,” she said.
Bruce van Vliet, the treasurer of the NPO Durban Lyons, said: “The Yes Cup is an annual tournament held in Italy. It’s a time when players from around the world compete together.
“We partnered with Richards Bay United Junior and Matuba Academy to select the best players among the divisions to compete in this year’s Yes Cup.
“In the past few months, we have hosted a handful of tournaments to choose our team and, more precisely, to raise funds for the Italy trip, which includes flights and accommodation.
“In December, we hosted our Annual Super 6 Tournament to hand-pick the boys. We have also participated in the
Steven Pienaar Thames Tournament to expose our boys to as much football as possible before the Yes Cup.
“So this year, our U10, U12, U14 and U16 were given the honour to compete, and a total of 60 boys were chosen to compete on behalf of team KZN United in Italy,” said Vliet.
Zaid Poultney is the coach of the U12 team at Durban Lyons.
He said Omar played the left winger position while Mohamed was a midfielder.
“Omar is an incredible soccer player. His feet move so quickly, before you know what happened, he has already scored. I can definitely say he is among some of the best young players in South Africa.
“We call him Messi because he is not shy to get into the game and score goals. Every chance he gets, he will try to score.
“Mohamed plays like the Italian soccer players. He is not afraid to tackle the biggest players if it means he can come up victorious. He is a defensive player with a lot of energy and skill. Both the brothers are the ones to watch. They will make South Africa proud one day,” said Poultney.
The Mia family are holding a donation drive to raise funds to get the brothers to Italy. For more information, visit their Facebook page: Omar and Mohamed Yusuf Mia.
Aaliyah said if all went well financially, the brothers will leave for Italy on April 4.