KUALA LUMPUR: Representatives from several embassies in Malaysia, the police and the Defence Ministry gathered yesterday for the German Embassy’s inaugural futsal tournament at Sportizza – Home of Sports Setapak.
The tournament concluded with an all-Group B final between the Saudi Arabia Embassy team and Team Media Malaysia. The two sides had previously met in the opening group-stage match, where the Saudi team secured a 2-0 victory.
Despite the early setback, Team Media Malaysia advanced through its remaining group fixtures, including a 6-0 win over the team from the US Embassy.
The Saudi Arabia Embassy side ultimately claimed the tournament trophy after defeating Team Media Malaysia 1-0 in the final. The Saudi squad also swept the tournament’s individual honours, winning the Golden Boot, Best Goalkeeper and Best Player awards.
Team Media Malaysia was represented by Twentytwo13 editor Haresh Deol, Twentytwo13 executive editor Graig Nunis, Wan Asrudi Wan Hasan of Harian Metro, Shahrul Azman Sharip of TV3, and Rozali Saad, Faiz Yahya, Haikal Mazlan and Khairul Nadzar Khalid, all from NSTP.
Before the start of the tournament, Silke Riecken-Daerr, the Ambassador of Germany to Malaysia, welcomed the participants and emphasised the spirit of sportsmanship and the opportunity for cross-institutional interaction. Dr Sammy Sakka, Deputy Head of Mission, later presented the prizes.
Speaking after the event, Haresh, who is also the deputy president of the National Press Club Malaysia, expressed gratitude to the German Embassy Kuala Lumpur for extending the invitation to members of the media, noting that such initiatives would continue to strengthen ties between foreign diplomatic missions and the local media.
“This is also a form of sports diplomacy, and I look forward to seeing more such initiatives being organised by other foreign missions in Malaysia. Sports provide a unique platform through which we can interact and understand each other better, thereby enhancing bilateral ties among nations,” said Haresh.
