"We want to take on the G8 and win"
Kenya's slum footballers play an inspiring game
15 April
By Andy Jacques, Christian Aid
On paper it was a mismatch equivalent to Barcelona versus Grimsby
Town. Gor-Mahia FC, who lie second in Kenya's premier league and are the
only Kenyan side ever to win the African Continental Cup, took on St Johns
Sports, at team of young men from Korogocho, a Nairobi slum area.
"This game was about depicting the power imbalance in the world, skewed
against developing countries", said Peter Aoga from ECONEWS Africa,
an NGO working on trade issues.
"When we are involved in trade negotiations, we are inexperienced - we don't have the expertise. As much as the developed world says the grounds for negotiations are fair, they are not."
Superior strength and technique
Contrary to expectations, St Johns matched the professionals for much
of the first half and played some attractive and intelligent football.
But it was only a matter of time before the gulf in strength and technique
- typified by the duel between 5' 5" St Johns goalkeeper, Cyrus Kung'o,
and the towering Gor-Mahia no.9 - was decisive. Goals in each half gave
the former African champions a narrow 2-0 win.
Have you seen our shoes?
In the words of Peter Aoga:
"2-0 was like a win. They play with new boots, are well trained
and practise every day. They are well fed, they are bigger in size - it
is like the G8 versus the developing world."
The chairman of St Johns Sports Society, Laban Muwna, was also delighted:
"I can't believe what we have done here.”
"We are from the slums, we don't have a pitch - just stones. Have you seen our shoes? They are very bad. But today we have shown our talents. We have shown we can play against a big team and do well."
We put them under pressure
The event was organised by a coalition of NGOs in Kenya as part of a series
of events to mark the Global Week of Action.
Peter Aoga summed up the significance of the slum team's determined performance:
"We put the experienced team under pressure and they didn't know what
to do. We hope that we here in the south and those people who support us
in the north will be able to put pressure on those with power."
Father Daniel Moschetti, a mentor at St Johns Sports Society, agreed:
"We want to play the G8 and beat them."
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