FROM FUN INTO BIG-TIME SPORTS

R+ continues to acquaint readers with the sports that will be represented at the first European Games in Baku in June. This time we will talk about beach soccer, a subspecies of the king of sports. Beach soccer is very popular not only in Europe but also worldwide. As one of the most popular sports in Brazil and Spain, beach soccer has already passed a peculiar path of development in Azerbaijan.

The basis of beach soccer was laid on the beaches of Brazil, where authoritative tournaments are held in this sport. In fact, Brazilian teenagers play beach soccer to demonstrate and hone their skills and then become involved in big-time football.

Today, beach soccer has become a sport that is rapidly spreading internationally. With each passing day, this kind of football attracts more fans, and television allocates airtime to it in 170 countries.

As has already been noted, the birthplace of beach soccer is Brazil. In 1992, rules were drawn up for this sport. Next summer Miami hosted the first professional tournament in beach soccer, which was attended by teams from the US, Brazil, Argentina and Italy. After the first FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 1995, the world's leading television channels contributed to the popularization of this kind of football. In Europe, interest in beach soccer led to the creation of the European Pro Beach Soccer League (EPBSL) in 1998. Gradually developing, beach soccer spread to the United Arab Emirates, Asia, Africa and America. Finally, FIFA recognized these contests and approved BSWW as an international organization in beach soccer. Since 2005, beach soccer championships have been held under the auspices of FIFA. It is interesting that in FIFA World Cups held so far, Brazil has won the World Cup 13 times and Russia twice, while France and Portugal - once each.

Beach soccer has several fundamental differences from big-time football. Games are held on a field that is much smaller than a normal football field. This allows players to score goals from anywhere in the field. During one match, around 60 attempts are made to score a goal. On average, a goal is scored every 30 seconds, but only 9-11 goals per game are registered. Each team has five players including the goalkeeper. The number of substitutions is unlimited. Beach soccer matches consist of three halves 12 minutes each. According to the rules, when the ball leaves the field, the reserve referee stops the time. The break between the halves is 3 minutes. When there is a penalty kick, there is no "wall". Interestingly, there are no draws in beach soccer, which makes the game more interesting. In case of a tie, the teams play an additional 3-minute half. The winner is the team that scores the "golden goal" during this time. If a goal is not scored, the winner is revealed in a penalty shootout.

The Azerbaijani beach soccer federation was created in 2008. The national team was formed in a very short time. Since there is no national championship for this type of football in our country, the national team periodically takes part in international tournaments and gains experience in friendly matches. That is why the European Games will be the biggest challenge for the Azerbaijani team which is strenuously preparing for them. They will have to fight very strong contenders at home. Despite this, the president of the federation, Farid Novruzlu, believes in the worthy performance of the team.

"The national team of Azerbaijan was formed in 7 years. Everyone knows that we began to develop beach soccer in Azerbaijan from scratch, when there was no national team, players or fields for playing. Now the team has been formed, grounds have been built in Bilgah and other beaches for their training. Our team is much loved in Azerbaijan. I think the team is aware of the responsibility of playing in the European Games and will be able to demonstrate its strength. I would not like to make predictions. In beach soccer, the result can change in a matter of seconds. But you can be sure that our team will go on the field in each match aiming to win. The main goal is to get into the top three winners," Novruzlu told R+.

During the European Games in Baku, competitions in beach soccer will be held on 24-28 June. Eight teams and a total of 96 athletes will be vying for the title of champion. Matches will be held at the beach arena located in the Park of the European Games. It must be noted that unlike big-time football, beach soccer matches are accompanied by rhythmic music and a commentary from the presenter.

At the European Games, teams from Azerbaijan, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, Ukraine and Hungary will be competing. Azerbaijan received this right as the host country of the Games, and the other national teams - based on the results of the classification tournament held in the Spanish town of Torredembarra in August 2014 and the Super Final of the European Pro Beach Soccer League in early 2014.

The draw has already taken place, and according to its results, the teams are divided into two groups. In accordance with the rules, Azerbaijan, as the host of the tournament, is the first in Group A and Russia, the winner of the last world championship, in Group B. The remaining teams were distributed by the lots. Team names were pulled out of the basket by former players of eternal rivals - Real and Barcelona, which were represented, respectively, by Christian Karembeu, a former French national team player, and Robert Prosinecki, who used to play for Croatia and is now coaching the national team of Azerbaijan. According to the results of the draw, the rivals of the Azerbaijani national team in Group A will be Portugal, Switzerland and Ukraine, and in Group B, Russia will have to compete with Spain, Italy and Hungary.