Away From the Stars, Soccer Street Fest Attracts Young Talent
July 1, 2006
Rwanda, Palestine, South Africa, Afghanistan, Senegal and Columbia may not have qualified for the 2006 World Cup. But there's no stopping them when it comes to another big soccer festival that will run parallel to the ongoing World Cup in Berlin from July 2.
Called "Streetfootballworld Festival 06," the tournament features 22 teams from all over the world consisting of boys and girls between 16 and 21 years. Each team has to have at least one female member. The event kicks off at Berlin's Mariannenplatz in the city's gritty and edgy Kreuzberg district, home to large numbers of Germany's largest foreign minority, the Turks.
The highlight so far is a mixed squad from Israel and Palestine -- states that do not normally see eye to eye -- and is aptly called "The Peace Team."
Using soccer to promote peace
As the name implies, streetfootballworld, a worldwide network that's headquartered in Berlin, uses soccer to reach kids living on the streets and to promote peace, fight drug abuse, poverty, violence and the spread of Aids.
The tournament, part of the official FIFA cultural program at the ongoing World Cup, was founded by German national Jürgen Griesbeck, a former visiting lecturer at the University of Antioquia in Medelin, Columbia.
Griesbeck was stirred by the 1994 murder of Columbian national team defender Andres Escobar and decided to set up a project using soccer to combat violence and promote fair play.
Escobar was murdered on the streets of Colombia for scoring an own goal that led to the team's early exit in the 1994 World Cup.
Originally started in Colombia in the same year, Streetfootballworld spread to other parts of the world. Vladimir Borkovic, Streetfootballworld's Global Network and Research Director said the aim of the tournament was to create a platform for the presentation of the best practice in football for social development projects around the world.
"Through Festival 06, we are highlighting our network of local projects that have done great work and we also provide an avenue for experience sharing between them," he said.
The Andres Escobar trophy
Borkovic said the winning team will walk away with the Copa Andres Escobar trophy which will be defended in South Africa during the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
"The Copa Andres Escobar is going to be the perennial award for social development through football projects around the world, demonstrating fair play and great football," Borkovic said.
The teams have been divided into four groups of six. Ghana and Nigeria could not make it to the tournament after their squads were denied visas for Germany.
Unlike the 2006 Fifa World Cup where Brazil is considered the favorites, at the Festival 06, there are no favorites as teams do not even know each other's strengths and weaknesses.
Klinsi may stop by
The German national soccer team coach Jürgen Klinsman, who has been involved with the network since 2001, might take time off from his busy World Cup schedule to watch some matches at the tournament.
"Klinsmann is the streetfootballworld patron and has been invited to the tournament, we hope to welcome him to Kreuzberg," Borkovic said.
He said Bernard Lama, French goalkeeper in the 1998 World Cup was also expected to attend the tournament.
"Lama was a founding member of Diambars, a Senegalese football project that forms part of the streetfootballworld global network," Borkovic added.
The colorful former Colombian soccer star Carlos Valderram, Escobar's teammate in 1994 has also been invited.
South Africa eyeing win
Though organizers of the tournament have consistently stressed that winning isn't always the most important thing in the competition, some teams aren't willing to settle for less.
The South African team called KickAids, kicks off their campaign against hosts Straßenfußball Deustchland on July 2.
Cliff Ntsoereng, the South African team captain said their aim was to lift the trophy on July 8.
"The morale is high in our team and everyone in this team wants to lift the trophy because our national soccer team failed to qualify for the World Cup," he said.
The tournament will not only be about showcasing of soccer skills, but artwork and photographs from participating countries will also be on display. The work forms an official contribution to the Artistic and Cultural Program of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.