WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2014 SPORTS Brazil beckons Pakistan’s street kid footballers KARACHI: Sixteen-year-old Mohammad profit Azad Foundation that rehabilitates second edition will be hosted by Rio de found new friends and now people According to the Foundation, Karachi is Salman thought he was destined to live street children in the sprawling Pakistani Janeiro from Friday until April 6. respect me.” home to roughly 200,000 street children, his life on the mean streets of Karachi, metropolis of 18 million. The seven-a-side Street Child World many of whom fall into gangs linked to addicted to drugs, begging for survival “They helped develop my interest in ROCKS FOR GOALPOSTS Cup, to be held in football’s spiritual political parties engaged in a bloody and with no prospects for a better football,” he said. “I’m excited to be part Owais Ali, another former street child, heartland, represents a far cry from road- battle for control over the city. future. Now he is set to represent of the Street Child World Cup.” The Amos said football has earned him respect. side matches in Karachi with rocks used Coach Abdul Rasheed admitted the Pakistan in the second edition of the Trust, a British non-profit organisation, “When I was living in the street, no one for goal posts. task of motivating children from such Street Child World Cup which starts in convinced football’s governing body treated me with respect; I did not know Away from the pitch, organisers plan troubled backgrounds was sometimes Brazil this week. FIFA to initiate the Street Child World anything as I was illiterate,” said Owais, to host celebrity guests, a youth partici- challenging. “In my past life I was like a street Cup in 2010. who like Salman comes from Karachi’s pation conference and exhibits featuring “It was tough when we first threw a urchin, using drugs, running away from The first edition was held in South troubled Orangi town, a shanty settle- Brazilian artists. football at them,” said Rasheed. “They school and studies. I was an addict,” said Africa ahead of the 2010 World Cup and ment. Getting Pakistan a place in the tour- were not consistent in their efforts but Salman, who left home at age 13 after featured Brazil, South Africa, Nicaragua, “I was confused once I left home and nament gave the children a tangible we kept our mission and regrouped fighting with his parents. Ukraine, India, the Philippines, Tanzania the city was full of problems for me. goal to work toward, said Iftan Maqbool these kids into a team,” he said. “We didn’t know what we were doing and a team from England. India won the Than I found a way through Azad of the Azad Foundation. “We have worked hard on these kids and what we should do. I was staying inaugural event, which proved so suc- Foundation who supported me and “It has turned out to a worthwhile as others before going to Brazil and the away from home.” Salman’s salvation cessful that it was decided to hold it helped me in studies. “Now I am in the exercise and now our goal is to earn aim is to fight for the trophy as well as came after he was spotted by the non- ahead of every football World Cup. The ninth grade. After I started football I recognition for Pakistan,” he said. for recognition.”—AFP Bayern clinch German title BERLIN: Record-breaking Bayern Munich were confirmed German League champions yesterday with a 3-1 win at Hertha Berlin as Pep Guardiola’s side secured the title with seven games to spare. In his debut season, Guardiola has now won three titles in nine months after last August’s UEFA Super Cup triumph and December’s Club World Cup success. Bayern’s 19th consecutive Bundesliga win secured the 24th German League title of their his- tory, and the victory at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium was never in doubt after they raced into a 2-0 lead with just 15 minutes gone. Bayern have also taken one game off their own record, set last season, for MIAMI: This artist rendering provided by 360 Architecture and Arquitectonica on the earliest confirmed league win. Midfielder Toni Monday, March 24, 2014, shows the proposed soccer stadium recommended for the Kroos slammed home an early strike before Mario Port of Miami. David Beckhamís architects have recommended the site for the Major Goetze headed their second to set the Bavarian League Soccer expansion team that will be owned by the former English national giants on their way to collecting all three points. team captain.—AP Hertha’s Colombia striker Adrian Ramos netted a penalty before France winger Franck Ribery came off the bench to net a superb third. Beckham’s MLS group With seven games left, Bayern have an unassail- able 25-point lead from second-placed Borussia unveils stadium design Dortmund, although in truth the title race has been over for weeks already. MIAMI: David Beckham revealed design reported $25 million for the ambitious fran- Kroos, whose recent contract extension negoti- plans on Monday for a new state-of-the-art chise. Beckham, who retired last year after a ations have stalled, opened the scoring in the sixth football stadium he hopes will be the eventu- career that also took him to Real Madrid, LA minute when he fired home from a Mueller cross. GERMANY: Bayern Munich’s Brazilian defender Dante and Hertha’s Colombian forward al Miami waterfront home of his Major Galaxy and Paris Saint-Germain, is banking on Goetze doubled the lead when he headed Adrian Ramos (right) vie for the ball during the German First Division Bundesliga football League Soccer franchise. his star pulling power and growing promi- home from a Bastian Schweinsteiger delivery eight match. —AFP The English football icon unveiled plans nence in the US to create what he called a minutes later and Bayern enjoyed a remarkable 83 for the open-air stadium with a design that “global” team that can attract the best players percent of the possession in the opening half. It Centre-back Sebastian Proedl netted a consola- placed Mainz 05 as Congolese-born captain features a curving rooftop canopy that would in the world. could have been 3-0 at the break as Mueller head- tion for Bremen. Bottom side Eintracht Dominick Kumbela scored twice. The result keeps protect up to 35,000 spectators from the ele- Beckham said by placing the stadium in ed off the crossbar with Hertha’s ex-Bayern goal- Braunschweig breathed some life into their survival things tight at the foot of the table with just four ments but also have an open centre, provid- the downtown waterfront area they can also keeper Thomas Kraft beaten seven minutes before fight with a shock 3-1 win at home to seventh- points separating the bottom five teams.—AFP ing bay front and skyline views. find the same commercial success that the the interval. “When people think of Miami, they imme- NBA Heat have enjoyed in Miami. The hosts pulled a goal back when Ramos net- German League results/standings diately think about being near or on the “I see the atmosphere that goes on down ted a penalty on 66 minutes after being fouled in the area by Bayern’s Brazilian right-back Rafinha. water,” the 38-year-old Beckham said during a there. I have been to Heat games,” Beckham Borussia Dortmund 0 Schalke 0; Werder Bremen 1 (Proedl 17) VfL Wolfsburg 3 (Junior Malanda 2, Perisic 11, news conference in downtown Miami on said Monday. “We want to be part of that.” But However, with 11 minutes left, Ribery scored the best goal of the night when he chipped home from Arnold 80); Eintracht Braunschweig 3 (Kumbela 18, 77, Nielsen 45+3) Mainz 1 (N. Mueller 21); Hertha Berlin Monday. “I asked my team to develop ideas not everyone is on board with the downtown 1 (Ramos 66-pen) Bayern Munich 3 (Kroos 6, Goetze 14, Ribery 79). for a stadium that embraces the best of the site, including Royal Caribbean Cruises which a seemingly impossible angle after a storming run destination. “Even though we are in the early is located next to the proposed stadium. by Goetze. Dortmund held onto second place with a goal- German Bundesliga table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, stages of building the franchise, I believe we Some civic officials have also expressed con- points): have a vision that not only Miami would be cerns about potential parking and traffic less draw at home to third-placed local rivals Bayern Munich 27 25 2 0 79 13 77 Hoffenheim 26 8 8 10 57 5832 proud of, but one that will resonate around problems. Schalke 04 with no trouble reported despite securi- ty concerns seeing some 3000 police officers Dortmund 27 16 4 7 59 29 52 Hanover 96 26 8 5 13 34 46 29 the world.” John Alschuler, Beckham’s New York-based Schalke 04 27 15 6 6 51 37 51 Eintracht 26 7 8 11 33 46 29 The plans also call for an adjacent complex real estate adviser, said they wanted to get deployed for the match. VfL Wolfsburg moved up to fifth with a 3-1 win Leverkusen 26 14 2 10 43 32 44 Bremen 27 7 8 12 31 53 29 that would include a commercial develop- the plans out there so that people could dis- Wolfsburg 27 13 5 9 46 41 44 Freiburg 26 6 7 13 29 47 25 ment and a public plaza.