A festive mood engulfed the floodlit Sports Coaching Foundation in Masab Tank when about 1,000 foreign students from across 16 countries assembled to witness the final of the Foreign Students Association invitation football tournament final on Wednesday night.

Teams from Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Somalia, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo vied for top honours. The participation of Iraq and Iran teams was obviously one of the star attractions, given the backdrop of their countries' recent history.

But, what was obvious from the scenes was the warmth and the ease with which the players mingled with each other to share the moments of joy.

FSA general advisor Mohd. Said Adem Adriano says the purpose of hosting the annual event is to bring together all foreign students, about 10,000 studying in affiliated colleges of Osmania University, and share their thoughts, concerns and come up with ideas to improve many aspects of their life.

“We use football as a major platform, as this is the one sport which binds many nations given its popularity amongst students,” says the FSA official.

For the record, Iraq won the final with a solitary goal win over Somalia in an intensely fought contest.

With a section of the student fraternity under scanner of the City Police for various reasons, these foreign students' fraternity, for once, felt at home when City Police Commissioner A. K. Khan came there as the chief guest for the valedictory function.

And, true to their delight, the sports-loving top cop of the city provided a much-needed assurance. “Make your stay comfortable, enjoy every moment of it and be better citizens. And, if you have any problem, you can always approach me,” was the comment which drew spontaneous applause.

Interestingly, only two months ago, the FSA representatives led by its president Inon Ruby of Mozambique met the City Police Commissioner regarding a problem they faced while staying in rented houses. “Of late, when we extend visas to pursue higher studies, we have been asked to produce the owner and submit a certificate in this regard. For this, not many are willing to co-operate,” moans Adriano.

But, true to the occasion, the FSA (formed in 2005) did not broach any of their concerns with Mr. A. K. Khan and preferred to live the moments of joy at the valedictory function. “We invited him to be the chief guest and did not want us to be presented in bad taste by reeling out our complaints,” says an FSA official.

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