FC Barcelona to feature in the III Mundialito de Clubes Beach Soccer

FC Barcelona will once again feature in the Mundialito de Clubes Beach Soccer. The competition will be hosted on famous beaches of Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro, the birthplace of beach football, from November 10th through the 17th. The competition, which will be aired by Esport3, will feature high-caliber teams like Flamengo, AC Milan, Corinthians, Peñarol, Vasco da Gama, Al Ahli and Botafogo.

FC Barcelona will debut on the 13th of November, against one of the favourites of the competition: Vasco da Gama. The match will be played at 20.15 (Barcelona time). It’s worth noting that, just as in past editions of the tournament, participation in the III Mundialito de Clubes Beach Soccer poses no economic cost to the Club.

Ramiro Amerelle will be a player and the manager

Barça, who have been placed in Group A along with Vasco da Gama, champions of the 2010 edition of the tournament, Botafogo and Al Ahli, will be led by the Galicia-born player/manager Ramiro Amerelle. The team will be formed by Juanma Martín, Nico Alvarado, Cristian Torres and Llorenç Gómez.

Talented reinforcements

In addition to the players mentioned above, Barça have brought in the talented keeper Dona – named the best keeper of the world after the FIFA World Cup Beach Soccer – the player Osmar Moreira – winner of the Silver Ball in the World Cup – and the Swedish international Dejan Stankovic –highest goalscorer of the European league. On the other hand, Amarelle won’t be able to call on Shishin, Eremeey and Bukhlitsky, who will be on international duty with their respective countries.

The challenge: getting past the quarter finals

The Barça manager believes that his players have the necessary quality to go deep in the tournament: “This will be our third year in the competition, and we’re going to Rio with the intention of getting past the quarter finals, that’s when we’ve been eliminated in the past. To play against Brazilian teams, who play at home, is very complicated, but we want to go as far as possible.”

Barça’s international reach

Joan Cuscó, vice-president of Beach Soccer Worldwide and member of the FIFA Beach Soccer committee, is pleased that an international club like FC Barcelona are in the competition: “For us, the presence of FC Barcelona in the Mundialito de Clubes is key because of the team’s quality and the international reach of the Club. It’s very hard for me to think of a competition with the best teams in the world and not have Barça. I can only reiterate my enormous gratitude, once again, for the Club’s support. It’s an honour to be able to count on them.”