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UEFA donation
The Homeless World Cup is taking place in the
Austrian city of Graz, and organisers and
backers are delighted with the response to the
event, which has the full blessing of European
football's governing body. UEFA has donated
€15,000 towards the staging of the event.
Grassroots event
Eighteen teams from Europe, Brazil, the United
States and South Africa are participating in
this grassroots event, which is being organised
by Caritas/Austria, the International Network of
Street Papers (INSP) and the Graz street
magazine Megaphon.
Eight-player squads
Each squad comprises eight players, homeless
people and people who make their living from
selling street papers, and two staff. Three
outfield players and one goalkeeper may be
fielded at any time, and mixed teams may be
formed.
Live music
Matches are taking place in the centre of Graz
on two courts between 17.00CET and 22.00CET each
evening, and the games are being accompanied by
live music from various corners of the world,
played by street musicians.
Uniting people
Football has an enormous potential to unite
people, create joy and break down barriers, and
Graz, as the European Cultural Capital for 2003,
is happy to welcome the event, which culminates
in the finals tomorrow. "Sport can be used to
help offer a new chance to people in crisis,"
the city’s authorities said. "The World Cup is
an international pilot project in which
football's positive strength as a sport and
image-bearer can be deployed as part of the
global fight against homelessness and poverty."
Big crowds
Organisers are confident the event will be a
resounding success. They said some of the
matches so far have attracted hundreds of people
packed around the playing court. The hope is
also that the players will enjoy a human and
sporting experience that they will never forget.
As the competition website reports: "Homelessness
may be the common background of the players, but
this afternoon and evening they are footballers.
In Graz, we see football returning to its
natural roots and back to the street: a
passionate game with moments of incredible human
feeling."
Further information about the 2003 Homeless
World Cup can be found at
www.streetsoccer.org |