The premiere of the TUI SOCCA Champions League, which opened on Friday at the stadiums of Sochora and Misirion in Rethymno and will take place on Monday, was the premiere of the TUI SOCCA Champions League, with the participation of 106 teams from 70 cities, 35 countries and five continents.
Rethymnon, which is the potential world capital of mini football, has been flooded with footballers and visitors enjoying their participation in the premier inter-club competition and at the same time enjoying a high level event from all sides.
Indeed, Friday’s premiere had it all: a lot of football, impressive, spectacular, spectacular, but also dramatic matches, heat, breeze, people in the stands, and even a marriage proposal!
The event happened yesterday afternoon at the stadium-2 of Sohora before the start of the match between the Romanian ACS Dream Team and AFC Alur from Kazakhstan.
To everyone’s astonishment and without testifying his intentions, the Romanian football player Mihai Sciopou called his beloved Adina to the center of the field, before whom he knelt down, offered her the customary ring and asked her to marry him!
“We are very happy and excited because this very important event of our lives happened inside the stadium. We have been in a relationship for a year now and I hope to return to the beautiful and welcoming Rethymnon for our honeymoon” said the leader of the group based in Tirgu Ziou.
The first matchday of the TUI SOCCA Champions League brought the world’s top teams to the stage and at the same time revealed the developments and trends in mini football.
“The sport is constantly evolving and now, in addition to talent and individual abilities, coaching by coaches and strategy play an important role. From the very first day it seems that the event has great competition and high quality” commented the coach of the Greek men’s national team George Bastakis.
The TUI SOCCA Champions League of 2025 is attended by 20 Greek teams divided into the three categories of the competition (Champions, Contracts, Conference).
On Friday, four matches were played between Greek teams, while in 20 matches against opponents from abroad, there were eight wins, two draws and ten losses.
The premiere was attended by Sebastian Ibel, CEO of TUI, which is the main sponsor of the event and who does not hide his love for football.
“I’m a sports fan and I’m involved in sports, but years have passed and I can’t get on the field and play,” he said with a laugh. “Rethymnon is one of TUI’s most popular destinations and the image I see here fills me with excitement. People are increasingly looking for events and opportunities to fill their time pleasantly when they travel for their holidays.’
And he continued: “The fact that in mid-October Rethymno has received so many visitors proves that a tourist destination can be highlighted and strengthened by many different axes, such as sports. People who love sports travel far and wide to watch events and participate in a festive atmosphere with the locals who, as in Crete and Rethymno, are very welcoming. The TUI SOCCA Champions League contributes to the extension of the tourist season, highlights the importance of sports tourism, brings together different cultures and unites people from all over the world, especially young people.”
The TUI SOCCA Champions League will conclude on Monday night, in the presence of the event’s ambassador, veteran international center forward and European champion in 2004, Angelos Charisteas, while the SOCCA Aegean Cup will follow (Tuesday and Wednesday, October 21-22), with the participation of four representative teams in the Tournament men and four in the corresponding women.
Source: Sport Fm
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