Lebanon’s national futsal teams place first, second at tournament in Turkey

The girls’ and boys’ national teams from private schools in Lebanon took first and second place respectively on Sunday at an international futsal tournament, or indoor football, in Turkey.

Organized last week in Istanbul by Boğaziçi University, the tournament brought together teams from the following countries: Lebanon, Turkey, Italy, Uzbekistan, Algeria, Romania, Russia, Greece and Ukraine. The girls’ team won the final (3-1) against Italy, while the boys’ team finished in second place against Uzbekistan.

Upon their return to Lebanon, the players received a warm welcome Tuesday at Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport.

Coach Jimmy Tannous praised the determination of the young players despite the difficult situation in Lebanon which hampered their training. "We decided to travel and fight for every victory despite all the challenges we faced to raise our country ever higher," he told our publication.