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A time to make friends in Kreuzberg: Street Football World Cup begins
Monday, July 3, 2006
While the 'Big World Cup' enters its last decisive week, another World Cup is being played for in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg: The First Street Football World Cup started on 1 July.
The Street Football World Cup was officially opened by Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter and the Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit. Steinmeier called the tournament a project against racism and discrimination.
Its motto: Football for Peace and International Understanding
In this spirit Klaus Wowereit welcomed the fans to the street football stadium on the Mariannenplatz in Kreuzberg: "I am very happy that this Street Football World Cup is being held during the FIFA 2006 World Cup. Football should bring nations together. We only have a future if we live our lives based on peace and tolerance."
The streetfootballworld 06
The origins of the streetfootballworld festival 06 are to be found in Medellín in Columbia. It was here that the Columbia international Andrés Escobar was shot dead in 1994. Stirred by this incident, Jürgen Griesbeck, then visiting lecturer at the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín, set up the 'Fútbol por la Paz' (Football for Peace) project. The power of football should be used to break the downward spiral of violence, drugs and poverty. This laid the foundations for 'streetfootballworld'.
The 'streetfootballworld festival 06' was intentionally opened on the twelfth anniversary of Andrés Escobar's death. The festival will last for one week and will end with the First Street Football World Cup being presented to the winners on 8 July. The winners can take the trophy home to their own football project. The Second Street Football World Cup will be held in South Africa in four years time.
The Copa Andrés Escobar
The Columbian street football team presented the trophy, designed by the Columbian artist Walter Tello, at the opening ceremony. With right hand on heart, a ball in its outstretched hand, the Columbian national anthem on its lips, the bronze statute celebrates the life of the murdered footballer who was only 27 years old when he died. "André Escobar will never be forgotten in Columbia and he will be remembered throughout the world thanks to the festival 06", the artist declared.
Before the opening game between Paraguay and the Balkans kicked off, a German-Argentinian murga, South American street dance, helped get the fans in the mood for the forthcoming matches. Alongside the football, 'The Dance of the Poor' from Buenos Aires will form the central part of this meeting of cultures. For the Final on 8 July the German-Argentinian murga will become an international murga with teams from across the globe taking part.
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