FOOTBALLER KAID MOHAMED is getting ready for the biggest game of his career this weekend.
Kaid, 27, will be in the Cheltenham Town squad which travels to mighty Tottenham Hotspur for an FA Cup third round tie on Saturday.
It will be the latest adventure in the career of the Cardiff-born striker, who is helping Cheltenham's charge for promotion from Football League Two.
With the media spotlight on the Cheltenham squad intense this week, Kaid still found time to talk to the GREAT WHITE SHARKS BLOG.
GWS: Greetings Kaid. First of all, can you tell us about your Muslim background?
KM: I'm not a practising Muslim, but my name's Mohamed, the Muslim faith is in my ancestry and I'm proud of that.
GWS: This blog is about the Great White Sharks, the first Asian-Muslim female futsal team to be formed in Birmingham. Are you impressed by this?
KM: Definitely. It's great to hear about things like this happening. I hope this will encourage other Asian-Muslim teams to form, the more females involved in football the better. I watched the Women's World Cup and saw so many gifted players perform, I reckon some of those teams would give Cheltenham Town a run for their money!
GWS: You have been active in supporting the Kick It Out anti-racism campaign in football. The racism issue is highly topical at present with Liverpool's Luis Suarez receiving an eight-game ban for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra. Do you have a view on the Suarez ban?
KM: I think Suarez deserved all he got. He's obviously been banned for a reason. He claimed the term he used is acceptable where he's from (Uruguay) but where he's from is a different world. There's no place for racism in football wherever in the world you play and I hope this ban will have the right effect.
GWS: Quite a bit of your earlier career was spent playing in the Welsh Premier League. How do you feel about the way the league has changed, now operating with 12 teams instead of 18?
KM: I thought the league was better with more teams. Playing the same teams three or four times in one season is not ideal in my book. I have a lot of friends still playing in the WPL, including Paul Fowler of Neath, and still keep a close eye on results.
GWS: On to this weekend. Mighty Tottenham Hotspur v Cheltenham Town, FA Cup third round - can you quite believe it?
KM: Not really, it will be the biggest game of my career. Spurs are the in-form team of the Premier League and this game will be our own cup final.
GWS: Are you looking forward to coming up against Wales international Gareth Bale?
KM: Definitely. I don't know him personally, but I'm sure I will after Saturday. He's a player who likes to run with the ball at his feet like me and is a fantastic talent. He's also a Cardiff lad like me so we have that in common.
GWS: Do you think Cheltenham can win promotion to League One this season?
KM: Yes, definitely. We're playing well, we're on a good run, and we're second in the (League Two) table. There's a good squad here with a good spirit, the manager's well respected and there's a great feel about the place.
GWS: And finally, do you have a message for the Great White Sharks?
KM: I wish them all the best. I hope what they're doing can inspire other female Muslim teams to start playing. I hope the Sharks will do well in their league and achieve what they set out to do.
KAID MOHAMED FACTFILE
Full Name: Kaid Yusef Mohamed
Born: Cardiff, July 23, 1984
Height: 5ft 11
Position: Winger/Striker
Current club: Cheltenham Town
Number: 23
Previous clubs: Cwmbran Town, Llanelli, Carmarthen Town, Swindon Town (2007-08), Torquay United (loan - 2008), Forest Green Rovers (2008-09), Newport County (loan - 2009), Bath City (2009-11), AFC Wimbledon (2011), Cheltenham Town (2011-)
Honours: Welsh Cup winner (with Carmarthen Town, scored two in the final) 2007, Conference South play-off winner (with Bath City, scored winner in the final) 2010, Conference National play-off winner (with AFC Wimbledon) 2011.
LINK: Interview with Kaid (option 9) http://wn.com/kaid
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