Sept 29, 8pm, Frank's Place
Add: Jiangtai Xilu, west of Rosedale Hotel
Sept 30, 10am, Western Academy of Beijing
Add: 10 Laiguangying Donglu

Forget total football, forget joga bonita, forget Zidane's ridiculous handbags-at-dawn tiff with Marco Materazzi, it's time for this year's ultimate footballing competition to hit Beijing. Never have players with such outstanding technical ability, physical prowess and tactical acumen been present on the same pitch before.

 Organized by Beijing's very own Sexy FC, undoubtedly the finest expat team ever to grace a footballing strip, the  Sexy 6's Tournament  takes place on Saturday, Sept 30, with teams from across Asia demonstrating their awesome ball control and keen eye for the goal in an attempt to hoist the coveted Sexy 6 trophy.  Sexy FC, established in 1996 by Andrew West, a Brit who decided it was time to put a top football team on the China map, is a club with a proud history and much-envied record. The team made International Friendship Football Conference (IFFC) history by conceding more goals in the first season than any other club, ever, anywhere  

After this shrewd move to lull other teams into a false sense of security, half-time alcohol consumption was reduced, and large guts have been replaced by six-packs of the anatomical kind.   

Rigorous dawn training and the acquisition of some superb footballing talent has resulted in the meteoric rise of Sexy to the Beijing IFFC First Division. Today the guiding principles of Sexy FC remain the same beer-fueled camaraderie, an extensive overseas touring schedule, sexy birds (women) and football that whips even the smallest and disinterested crowds into a frenzied orgy of excitement. After a deceptively brief return to old form in the latter half of the 2003/4 season (which saw the club relegated), the sexy football that Ruud Gullitt himself would be proud of is now back for good, and the 2004/5 IFFC Second Division honors were taken after Sexy FC destroyed the opposition in an undefeated season. Rumors of a takeover by a mysterious Russian oil billionaire abound.  

 In an exclusive City Weekend interview, tournament organizer Ben Hails said, "Sexy 6's is our ten-year celebration and reunion of old Sexy team members. Players at their peak will demonstrate some awe-inspiring footballing skills, and maybe down a few ales too." Sexy hopes to field three teams made up of current stars and past legends from the club's glorious ten-year history, many of whom have moved on to bigger teams in other countries. To get everyone properly warmed up, there will be a pre-party at Frank's Place after the tournament draw is made. Players are urged to arrive on time at the Western Academy of Beijing the following day, regardless of any lingering after-effects from the previous night's festivities.

Football in the Cap

 International football in the Chinese capital is currently booming with nearly 60 teams playing in a range of leagues. The International Friendship Football Conference (IFFC) is Beijing’s premiere expat league, established in 1994 by expats, locals and students. As a member of the Beijing Football Association, the conference now boasts more than 800 members from 70 countries playing in four divisions of 10 teams. In addition to league championships, teams also participate in a league cup and super cup.     

IFFC is the primary 11-a-side football organizer in Beijing, but ClubFootball organizes many other smaller tournaments and leagues (see www.clubfootball.com.cn). Sexy FC is considered by many to be the best expat team in Beijing, although other talented sides include Afrika Utd., Forbidden City, Fortuna, The Strollers and the Vikings. IFFC matches are refereed mostly by African or Chinese referees, with games played every weekend during the season at a variety of locations across the city, usually cheered on by screaming hordes of appreciative fans.