Parade report by David Gillespie
Posted by Foyer Federation - 30/07/2007
The Homeless World Cup kicked off in Copenhagen with a bang and the beat of samba music as 48 countries and 500 players led a parade from the Dan Hostel to the town hall square. They really let the people of Copenhagen know that the Homeless World Cup had arrived.
The Homeless World Cup kicked off in Copenhagen with a bang and the beat of samba music as 48 countries and 500 players led a parade from the Dan Hostel to the town hall square. They really let the people of Copenhagen know that the Homeless World Cup had arrived.
To kick off the tournament there were some speeches from Helen Zille (Mayor of Cape Town), Mel Young (founder of the Homeless World Cup) and Eva Kjer Hansen (Ministry of Social Affairs in Copenhagen). They spoke about what a great city Copenhagen has been in hosting the HWC and to remember overall that to have fun and enjoy yourself and show that people in poverty can do something positive which was met by rapturous applause from both players and the public alike.
The host nation kicked off the first game against Ireland which ended 6-4, the football was fast and furious with bags of enthusiasm with players from all nations and the public supporting both teams and on pitch 2. The only all girl team kicked Kyrgyzstan off their first game with Hungary which they lost but not for lack of trying. Overall the first day of the HWC was a success with fantastic games (which are all listed on the Homeless World Cup website) and great attitudes from everyone involved.
David Gillespie
