The 20th edition of the international grassroots football tournament MICFootball (MIC-Mediterranean International Cup) starts the competition this Wednesday, April 13th and will last until Sunday the 17th in 33 venues in the Girona region. The tournament, recognized as one of the most prestigious in the world, returns three years later to the Costa Brava with the assistance of 300 teams from 24 countries and 6,000 participants that will be divided into 9 categories (from U12 to U20, between men’s and women’s grassroots football). MICFootball opens tomorrow at four different venues: Figueres –Main stage- (11.15 am), Lloret de Mar. (11 h i 18 h), l’Estartit (11 h) i Palamos (6 p.m.). This afternoon (from 5pm to 8.40pm) there will be a first taste of the tournament with the Pre-MICFootballa Banyoles.
To avoid congestion in the stands and on the pitch for health reasons, this year the opening of the tournament goes from one to four municipalities. TheVilatenim Stadium, from Figueres, will continue to be the epicenter of the inaugurations. This Wednesday at 11.15 am there will be a parade with the flag bearers of participating teams of category U13 and U15, parliaments of the authorities and delivery of trophies, including the 9th and 10th edition of the Dani Montesinos Award. This is a sports journalism competition that seeks to promote young talent and commemorate the figure of this journalist who died in 2012 in a car accident. The students Antonio Tuachi i Marc Perelló have been the winners of the last two editions, which have as a reward an internship on the TV channel GOAL. The matches will be played before and after the event EU Figueres–Olympic Marseille (9.15 am, category U15), Athletic Club of Bilbao-UE Figueres (10.15 am, U13) i FC Barcelona–Vic Riuprimer REFO (12 h, U12A).
In the other three venues there will also be parades of teams, parliaments and trophy deliveries. The municipal football field of Lloret de Mar will have a double session: at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. In the morning it will be the turn of the presentation of the U16 and F20 teams (with, in between, the matches RCD Espanyol–CRC Cambridge United female, at 10 a.m., i Liverpool–APFC, at 11:30 a.m.). And in the afternoon those of category U18 and U20 (with the confrontations FC Juventus Lloret-Athletic Club, 5 p.m .; and the CF Lloret–Sevilla F.C., at 6.30 pm). The municipal football field of L’Estartit will receive the sets of the U12A category and the event will be at 11 am (before, theAlbion SC San Diego–EF Baix Ter, at 10 a.m .; and then the Total Football Academy–FC l’Escala, at 11:30 a.m.). ThePalamós-Costa Brava Municipal Stadium will host the U12B and U14 teams. The event will be at 6 pm, after the match FC Porto-Vic Riuprimer Refo (5pm) and before CF Sant Feliu de Guíxols-FC Barcelona (18.45 h).
Juanjo Rovira, director of MICFootball, explains that the tournament “is presented with a lot of excitement and excitement by the organizers and the teams. There is a lot of enthusiasm and desire to start living the football and human experience. We have fewer teams than the last MIC, but we should value 6,000 participants from 24 countries. Half a year ago, when we started capturing equipment, we would have signed it. We have to try to get closer to excellence and we hope to finish the tournament by saying that, for quality, we have made the best MIC in history “.
