Football team of international students "AIS PSU" is the champion of PFAL

Following the results of the season, the AIS PSU team, which debuted this year in the Penza Football Amateur League (PFAL), immediately won gold medals in the Second Division championship.

Students of the Institute of International Cooperation of Penza State University formed a team in 2024 and applied to participate in the 2nd division of the PFAL. The team was supported by Rector of Penza State University Aleksandr Guliakov, Vice-Rector for International Affairs Gleb Sintsov and Director of the Institute of Sport and Physical Training Yurii Tikhonov. The head of the club was the chairman of the Association of International Students (AIS) of the Penza Region Adel Maqbol, a former amateur football player.

The AIS PSU team included 22 players from Morocco, Egypt, Ghana, Lebanon, Libya, and Palestine: Oulad Mbarek Sulaiman (captain), Oulad Mbarek Soufiane, Hussein Mohammad Ahmed Samara, Sanad Ibrahim Zidan Sanad Ammar, Yemoh Ali, Mohamed Ahmed Tarek Borai, Mohamed Mohamed Khaled Bakr, Darouish Alaa, El Masbahi Saad, Saudi Badr, El Haouzi Yassin, Sharif Mohamed, El Bughlaoui Badr Eddine, El Bassraoui, Mohamed-Yassin, Simo Lhafi, El Aadoui Mostafa, Mokdad Hadi, as well as Mohamed Adel Mohammed, Elgandi Hazem Waed Said Ahmed and Mohamed Abushahma (all three are Penza State Technological University students). The team's coach is the senior lecturer of the Department of Sport and Physical Training at PSU, Aleksei Shagalin (head coach of the PSU men's national football and mini-football team).

Step by step in the championship, the AIS PSU team gained authority and fans. And so, in the last match, which took place on October 19, the team of international students beat the Protein Store football players with a score of 5:3 and thus scored the most points in the Golden League of the 2nd division of the PFAL and received the right to play in the 1st division next season.

The official PFAL group noted the incredible success of the debutant team: "The AIS PSU team is definitely the main discovery of the PFAL season. The team, made up of international students who had never played 8x8 football before, debuted in the league straight from the Second Division and was able to win it in the first year. The students quickly adapted and showed very fast, technical and team football. The team has already written itself into history as the first team of foreigners to win the Second Division in the PFAL. We will be watching with interest how the team will develop further and what successes and heights it can still achieve. In the meantime, our applause to the new CHAMPIONS."