Pune boys in Man U's backyard

City's amateur footballers will represent India at the Budweiser 6v6 World Cup, which will be held at Old Rrafford, the home ground of Manchester United

City's amateur footballers will represent India at the Budweiser 6v6 World Cup, which will be held at Old Rrafford, the home ground of Manchester United

Pune's amateur footballers are ready to show off their skills at the international leg of the Budweiser 6v6 World

Dhana Dhan Goal: The Jubilant Pune team with the trophy

Cup as they have won the finals of the tournament, which was held in Hyderabad recently.

The 2009 Budweiser 6v6 gives recreational players the opportunity to fulfill their dreams by playing the international competition at a the Mecca of football the Old Trafford Stadium, which is the home ground ofu00a0u00a0 Manchester United.

MiD DAY speaks to Cedrick Fernandes, captain of the Pune team, which is all geared up to hit goals in the United Kingdom.

What is your take on this football carnival?u00a0u00a0
There were 36 teams that played really good football and vied for the opportunity to represent India at the international event. However, we managed to clinch the finals and would be going to UK now.
It is really a great opportunity for amateur footballers like us. Besides, it gives us a taste of professional football.u00a0
u00a0
What do most of you do?
We are a mix of students andu00a0 professionals. Vidit, Eugeneson and Omkar are students and Steven, Vikrant, Kshitij and me are working.

What kind of preparationu00a0 did the team do for the tournament?
There were no preparations at all for the tournament. As we know each other and have been playing football together for long, we share a great bond.

How was the experience of winning the Indian leg of the tournament?
It was like a dream come true. Several of my teammates had tears in their eyes, as we always wanted to play at the Old Trafford Stadium and meet the Man U team.

Do you think you'll be able to win the World Cup?
Yes. We are putting our strategy in place and are all geared up to take on international teams.

About Budweiser 6v6 tournament
>> It was launched in 2008 and local amateur teams competed against each other during the regional rounds
>> Top two teams then competed to win the chance of representing India at the international leg of the tournament, which is believed to be the amateur footballers' World Cup
>> The 2009 Budweiser 6v6 International World Cup final willu00a0 be held on May 25 at Old Trafford Stadium where teams from Abu Dhabi, Argentina, Bahrain, Belgium, Chile, Dubai, UK, India, Ireland, Malta, Qatar, South Africa, Sweden and Vietnam will play for the title