June Issue 2010

Telenor djuice and Red Bull recently collaborated to bring together some of Pakistan’s talented youngsters to compete in Red Bull’s Monta Ball Freestyle Football competition — a sport where you use a football to express yourself and perform tricks that use any part of the body. Out of the 16 competitors from Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, Areeb Iqbal emerged as the winner and was flown out to Cape Town, South Africa, to participate in the Red Bull Street Style World Championship 2010. In what must have been his first all-expenses paid trip outside Pakistan, Iqbal appeared ecstatic to be given the opportunity to compete on an international level.

Freestyle football is not a recognised sport in Pakistan, nor is there any training facility to hone talent. Iqbal’s display of natural talent enabled him to join other free style footballers at the Castle of Good Hope. Flanked by the media, he felt great pride in representing his country on a global platform. The three-day event saw world-class athletes converge to display their skills. Although Iqbal could not secure a top position, this is one experience he will not forget.