The Homeless World Cup Kicks Off

Soraya Soemadiredja, Jakarta.

Rio de Janeiro’s famous Copacabana is usually known for the beach bums and beauties, but this week, four years before Brazil’s Men’s World Cup hosting gig, it will be ‘home’ to teams from over 50 nations and territories who will compete in the 2010 Homeless World Cup to raise global awareness and “beat homelessness through football”.

Seven-a-side teams compete in 14 minute matches to determine the champion. However, football has long been a vehicle for many international development issues, this entire tournament has been less about the amount of goals scored than it has been to continue to raise awareness for issues of homelessness on the global scale as well as at the grass-roots. It seems a huge task: despite having a home as being a basic, inalienable right in many countries, according to the UNCHR an estimated 100 million people are homeless worldwide. In fact, in its own way, through the eight year run, it has already made an impact—perhaps not in terms of shirts sold and TV revenues, but in turning upside down the usually negative stereotypes of homeless and make a real difference in the lives of the participants, by helping them become leaders and allowing them to give back to their communities.

(Source: philosofooty)