Bright and early on Thursday, March 5, 2026, the first game of Futsal was played in the history of the Manitoba Winter Games. We sat down with Winnipeg Blue Coach Kaká Lima and Captain Isaiah Benjamin, and South Coach Samuel Jerema and Captain Micah Olusola of the inaugural first match, which ended in a 3-3 tie!

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How do you feel about Futsal being included in the Manitoba Winter Games for the first time ever?

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Coach Kaká
I am very happy. I’ve been an advocate for having futsal in the Manitoba Games and even the Canada Games for a while. I’m just glad that Manitoba Games and MSA could make that happen for the province, and hopefully, we can get more people involved, more teams, and just grow from here.

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Captain Isaiah
It’s great because now a lot of people can learn about futsal.

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Coach Samuel
I think it’s cool that they included futsal. I think people are learning about it. One of the greeters was talking about ‘foosball,’ and so it is new. It’s so new that people haven’t heard about it, and they’re not sure what it is. I’m really proud that the Manitoba Soccer Association got the support to use these Games as a development opportunity for not just the players but for the coaches and referees.

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How does it feel to be the first to play Futsal at the Manitoba Winter Games?

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Coach Kaká
For me, it was nerve-wracking to be on the sidelines, as usual. It was a great experience to see everyone watching, but I’m very glad it was as good as it was. 

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Captain Isaiah
Just really went into the warmup with good intensity and went to sleep early the day before.

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Coach Samuel
They were excited, and they had a bit of adrenaline. It’s an exciting experience, which I think carried us this morning. I was really proud of the boys, that they just embraced it, 

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Captain Micah
It’s exciting. I was definitely nervous about making a mistake in front of a bunch of people, but I was excited to play.

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What do you look forward to over the next couple of days of Futsal competition?

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Coach Kaká
To win is always a good thing, but I just hope that everyone can have fun and stay engaged in futsal for years to come.

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Captain Isaia
 Have some fun, learn some new things, and have a fun experience.

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Coach Samuel
Hopefully we can take in some other sports. We want to go maybe see figure skating, and I know the girls' futsal team is playing.