Women's soccer has the men glued

I was amazed by the entertaining football at the Army Stadium in the capital for the opening match of the West Asian Zone Football Federation (WAFF) 3rd Women's Championship.

It was my first experience in the UAE and, frankly, I was thinking that it will be a waste of time, specially on a day full of local and European league matches.

But it was a pleasant surprise to see that some of the players are really good and I enjoyed individual talent and ball control of Nachida Alifa and Fatima Mubarak from the UAE and Natalie and Kiloudi Salam of Palestine.

The time was not spent in tending to injuries, as I expected, or in fixing make-up spoilt by sweat. The two teams were playing quality soccer with the ladies running, tackling and sometimes playing rough and getting yellow cards as well.

I enjoyed goals scored by the Banana way, made famous by the Brazilians, from more than 30 metres, backward bicycle kicks, dribbling past more than two players and accurate penetrating passes.

It was a victory for women's liberation as the ladies held centre stage at a sport that has remained mostly limited to men, with the men the cheering and supporting.

Men should really come to watch the competition, which runs till Sunday, to realise that the ladies can play the game too and that they are not above making tough tackles or fouls and that the stretcher was used four times, a usual average for men's matches too.