Saturday 16th July 2005
Benjamin William Mkapa Secondary School, Dar es Saalam
It’s was beautiful July morning in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, with barely a cloud in the sky and the temperature well on the way to 20 degrees plus, despite the fact that it has barely turned seven thirty in the morning as we arrived at the Benjamin William Mkapa Secondary school and home for the day of the first Sunderland/Dar es Salaam Friendship Cup!
The previous day, in case we hadn’t been aware of the public interest the competition from the local community and the media (we hadn’t!), a press conference had been arranged for midday and it was there that I would discover the true extent of how much the event genuinely meant to the children, their coaches and the football fans of Dar es Salaam. There must have been 30 or so newspaper reporters, three TV crew’s as well as journalists from the local radio and all were on hand to scribble notes, ask questions, take pictures or just stare in bemusement at an extremely worse-for-wear me (following the previous nights festivities at the ironically named Sweet Easy bar further up the coast).
Later that evening I had paid a visit to the school to see how preparation was going for the big day and stumbled upon a senior team going through a workout on the pitch which had already been chalked, netted and was, it seemed, all ready for Saturday. Any thoughts that I might have had about joining in for a kick around were soon dispelled when I got up close and realised a) they were far too good and b) as most were bare chested and built like Aidy Akinbiyi (but with far more ability & skill) the humiliation on both scores was to great to risk, so instead I watched and admired from the sidelines and looked forward to more of the same the next morning.
One of the things that hits you about Tanzania is the attitude of the people. If there is a more laid back country on the planet then I would love to go there and see it! There is never a problem though and it’s a great characteristic in their makeup although I’m sure many visitors or ex-pats can find it frustrating at times.
Gabriel Mwakalinga, an IT teacher at the school and organiser of New Heroes Athletes Academy (who had entered a team in the competition at all age categories) was on hand to meet us just after 0730 –he had probably already been there a good hour and a half before we arrived! – and on asking him if many of the 16 teams had so far arrived, he just laughed and said “I told them all to be here before eight, so in Tanzania they will start arriving around nine!” This came as no surprise. Some of the young players had arrived though and were already busy transporting seating and tables across to the far side of the pitch where there was a small stand with a roof that was soon to become my home for the next 12 an a bit hours.
As the teams arrived in their Dalla Dalla’s (little busses), got kitted out and started warming up, it became evident that these boys weren’t here for a kick about – they were here for business, to show off their skills and to win. One of the first teams to arrive – an under 12 side called EMIMA – were quick to unveil a six foot banner that they had brought to erect alongside the touchline next to the stand. The Banner read – EMIMA, Kicking AIDS Out. I later spoke to one of the organisers of EMIMA who told me that they run a project that includes children in Dar in sports and activities and through this they promote HIV/AIDS awareness. They were keen to get support from organisations from countries such as the UK so we exchanged contact details and then sat back to watch her team kick off the tournament.
After watching the meticulous preparation of each team it came as no surprise to see the quality of play before us. Actually that’s a bit of a lie: I thought they would be good, but hadn’t realised just how good they would be.
The games were set at 20 minutes each way and were split into the following age groups: Under 12’s, under 14’s and under v17’s. The tournament was in knock out format with two semi-finals and a final in each category. It was decided that the fairest way to distribute the strips was to give a new set to each finalist with the runners up also receiving a new ball, courtesy of Sports Soccer (Sunderland) and the winners presented with the Dar es Salaam/Sunderland Friendship cup, as well as a new ball.
The first game was a difficult one for EMIMA as their opponents appeared bigger and more physical. Despite this they gave it everything and although they lost 3-0 they walked off the pitch with their heads held high. It was later decided that they should be awarded with a positive attitude and fair play award and a set of junior red & white strips was donated to their club, much to their excitement and delight.
The morning progressed with seven more knock out games, all of which produced some of the most scintillating football I have had the fortune to watch. What really hit home was the natural skill and technical ability – no mean feat considering the pitch was effectively a sand pit with the odd grassy mound, making the run of the ball practically impossible to predict.
That just made it better and improved the spectacle though, as the players improvised using a thigh to trap the ball, an outstretched knee to keep it in play or a deft flick or two to control it before a neat little lay off or a measured pass that could quite easily have been executed by Jay-Jay Okotcha or Samuel E’eto in any top game in Europe. I suppose the term to use would be football at its most natural, played for sheer enjoyment and love of the game. I would have dearly loved to have seen the likes of Lee Bowyer, Rio Ferdinand, Harry Kewell or Sean Thornton standing on the sidelines on Saturday as I believe they would have hung their heads in embarrassment. These kids would play for nothing to be given the chance in England and one thing is for sure – you wouldn’t see a player take a dive, con a referee or try to get an opponent sent off. It simply doesn’t happen here.
As we got into the afternoon and the most incredible heat, it was time to take a lunch break of rice, beans and some sort of orange cabbage (I think). I politely declined on the goat, although I’ve heard the goat is good.
It was soon time for the finals as we approached 2 O Clock which also meant presenting the new Sunderland strips to the sides that had progressed through the mornings knock out games. Seeing the kids faces as they were given the red and white stripes to wear was a humbling experience.
Not only were we, the people of Sunderland providing these teams with brand new football kit they could wear with pride, but we were also spreading the gospel of Sunderland Football Club to a town in Africa that would have had little knowledge or first hand familiarity of our great club. Or so I thought.
Apparently Dar’s main football club – SIMBA – who would be the equivalent to maybe Arsenal or Chelsea (but without Abramovich’s cash, obviously!) were known up until the late 1960’s as Sunderland and apparently they still play in red & white stripes. More investigation to follow on that one…
I hope that some of the pictures taken reflect the joy that our supporters brought to these children on Saturday. I can only try and put it into words and pictures, but to those that donated a shirt, offered their services in any way or contributed to the kitty to pay for the kit it really did make a difference and gave many people, people who in all likelihood have very little, a memory to cherish.
The second, and possibly most important thing that I discovered over the weekend though was that events like this can not be a one off. Whilst it was great to be part of and see the positive impact it had on the children, it also highlighted the fact that this should be an ongoing project that can strive to make a difference on a number of levels; The obvious areas being improving facilities and helping to create an infrastructure for these children to develop their talent. There are mountains of opportunity in arrears such as promoting health & fitness and HIV/AIDS awareness and setting up links with schools in Britain and Africa through the medium of football. I don’t want to venture off away from the write up, but it is something definitely worth looking into in depth and those that are interested should contact us and/or visit our website.
In the U12’s final New Heroes AA (SAFC home strips) defeated EYOC (SAFC away strips)
The under 14’s final was contested by EYOC who defeated Pangoline
And the U16’s final was contested by local hopes B W Mkapa School who despite vocal backing that you would normally associate with the Stadium of Light on a Saturday afternoon (and they played in the same colours too) they were defeated by the second champions to come from the New Heroes Athletic Academy, this time following a gruelling penalty shootout, although Gabrial (who had more than a passing interest in both teams) tried to remain impartial!
The scenes on the final whistle signalling the end of the tournament and the day brought together perhaps the greatest images as the young New Heroes kids sprinted onto the pitch to celebrate with the older players and as many others joined in there was dancing and singing and it became clear that everybody present had thoroughly enjoyed the day. The deputy president of the Tanzanian Football Federation and the Minister for Sport were in attendance to do the honours and present the prizes as dusk turned to evening and we headed home after a 12 hour football festival, completely worn out and in search of a nice cool beer.
It was a great day to be here in Dar and without a shadow of a doubt the proudest I have ever been, or am ever likely to be as a Sunderland supporter.
Modified:16 July 2005