'Sharky'-led SDS win first Baller League UK title
LONDON - Six-a-side team SDS FC, managed by online infuencer "Sharky". won the UK's inaugural Baller League on Thursday, beating MVPs United 4-2 in the final at London's O2 arena in a burgeoning new tournament that shakes up soccer's traditional format.
SDS dominated the first half, roaring into a 4-1 lead in the game, which includes special rules such as "Plus One" that briefly cuts the teams to one-versus-one plus goalkeepers.
TV host Maya Jama's MVPs cut the deficit by one goal in the second period, but were unable to mount a serious comeback in front of thousands of fans inside the arena and many more watching online, including 100,000 on YouTube.
"It means everything ... I always believed," said "Sharky", whose real name is Sharmarke Mohamud, in a pitchside interview.
"Being a champion just feels amazing," added SDS player David Marques Castanho, who got on the scoresheet.
SDS reached the final by defeating Deportrio while MVPs overcame Yanited FC in 30-minute games played earlier on Thursday in the UK's "Baller League Final Four".
The tournament was founded in Germany in 2023, where games were first played in an airport hangar, expanded to the UK this year and is also set to launch in the United States.
A Spanish-founded similar format, called the Kings League, is also growing rapidly, even though traditionalists scoff at the games as a gimmicky distortion of pure football. REUTERS
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