With the Fifa World Cup Finals now a matter of days away, predictions are flooding in on a website created by a Bahraini football fanatic to engage young people and boost their social skills.
As reported in the GDN last week, Yousif Ameen, 65, launched the website learnfromfootball.online which allows participants to submit their name and a prediction of the team they believe will lift the famous trophy in December.
The latest statistics reveal that, according to Bahrain’s oracles, Brazil are the overwhelming favourites to win a sixth crown with 54.5 per cent. Five other teams are tied on 9.1pc each, although Mr Ameen is keeping quiet on who they are in order to avoid influencing voters.
“The current expectation is that Brazil will win the World Cup,” said Mr Ameen. “However, what we love about football is that it can be unpredictable and the unexpected can always happen. An underdog can cause a surprise out of nowhere and this makes the sport so special.”
Mr Ameen, an engineer, is encouraging football fans of all ages to vote before the tournament begins on November 20. A winning entrant, drawn at random from those who correctly predict the champion, will receive the prize of his popular book Learning Success from Football.
The book was published in 2000 and has gained recognition worldwide with endorsement from numerous professional football associations. It features short stories and anecdotes which emphasise vital life skills such as observation, calmness, strength and determination, firstly in a footballing context and then transferring them to real-life situations.
Will Neymar, Brazil’s star striker and captain, lift the trophy next month or will the GDN’s managing editor Stanley Szecowka’s prediction prove right that football is coming home ... to England.
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