Gaza World Cup kicks off
Reageer (0)The Gaza Strip is one of the most isolated societies in the world - and not so by choice. 1.6 million people are trapped between Israel, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea. With a reality like this, there is no way Gaza could go to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa this summer. So Gaza has made its own World Cup.
Soccer is one of the few universal sports
The brainchild of an afternoon soccer match between locals and international workers last November, the Gaza World Cup is a partnership of Gaza's 16 professional football (soccer) clubs and the international aid workers and journalists residing in Gaza. "In total," the Gaza World Cup site explains, "400 players comprising 16 teams are planned, with 200 holding Palestinian nationality and 200 from other countries. And while a non-political event, it should be noted that a wide variety of Palestinian political factions are expected to join together and contribute players within the Palestinian half, promoting national unity over their own political agendas. The teams involved are Algeria, Egypt, England, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Palestine, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, and the USA."
Here's the bracket.
Today the Palestinians face off against the Italians - Twitter picture here - and the tournament will continue for two weeks, ending May 15. All matches will take place at Palestine Stadium and Yarmok Stadium, Gaza City's largest sporting venues. The Cup is free and open to the public. The Gaza World Cup coordinators say:
"The emphasis of the tournament is to encourage shared humanity – breaking down walls, not building them up. Towards that end, all reasonable attempts to include more people will be encouraged throughout the event and its preparation. This includes the core 16 teams with 400 total players, as well as 30 volunteers. Beyond this, if someone wants to participate, be they Gazan or foreigner, organizers will make every effort to find a role for them. Women will also be welcomed to participate as coaches, managers, and spectators, while not playing directly. Event security and medical support will all be coordinated by the Palestine Football Association, with numerous layers of redundancy to minimize risk as much as possible for both players and spectators."
The Gaza World Cup is sponsored largely by the UN Development Programme and the Bank of Palestine as well as US-based non-profit toy distributor Kitegang and the Palestine Football Association.
And what is there to win? The soon-to-be-coveted Gaza World Cup, handmade by local artisans from "the twisted iron of Gaza," awaits the winner of the tournament.
The Gaza World Cup site has documented everything about this one-of-a-kind competition, from making the world cup trophy, to practicing teams, to a look at organizing the Cup.
The Gaza World Cup is not about one country dominating another (that happens enough as is in Gaza) but about bringing people together and living life despite the efforts of the Israeli siege. The Cup's coordinators say, "The emphasis of the tournament is to encourage shared humanity – breaking down walls, not building them up."
