An Afghan party
Posted on 07/12/2008
By Finn BradshawTHE sounds of 'A-F-G, A-F-G" echoed around Federation Square as Afghanistan and its supporters celebrated victory in the 2008 Homeless World Cup.
The Afghans took the final 5-4 over Russia in a match which kept the packed stadium on the edge of its seats until the final whistle.
Deserving winners - Afghanistan was undefeated all week and also beat Russia in the group stage - the central Asians took the tournament by storm both with their inspired play and their devoted legion of fans, which turned every match into a party.
Prior to the Afghanistan-Russia match, Zambia took out the inaugural Women's World Cup over a severely depleted Liberia, 7-1. The Africans, who dominated their competition all week, have set the benchmark for other female teams to aim at next year.
Homeless World Cup co-founder Mel Young said Melbourne had set a new standard for the tournament, both in terms of organisation and its effect on the city.
The latter was evident throughout the week as the stands filled with cheering fans each day, whether to celebrate dramatic shootouts between Scotland and England, or the multiple attempted scissor kicks from Belgium's crowd favourite Nourdine Benaissa.
Possibly the match of the tournament prior to the final was a tense, tough affair between traditional rivals Portugal and Brazil, won 2-1 by the South Americans. The tackling in that game was as hard as you’d see in a FIFA World Cup battle between the two nations.
One of the features of the tournament was how closely the teams followed their national team's characteristics, from Brazil's technical excellence to Nigeria's flair or England's inability to win a penalty shoot-out.
But there the Homeless World Cup diverts from professional events. The joy on the players faces from first kick-off to final whistle was testament to this tournament's ability to change lives, and its effect on the spectators.
In no other sporting event will you leave the stadium and come across the players dancing in a circle with their fans. That was a regular sight along Birrarung Marr for the past week.
After the final, on the footpath behind Federation Square stadium, the Afghan players joined their adoring fans for a wild, joyous dance, while next to them Zambia stood in a circle with their Australian chaperones singing traditional African folk songs in sweet, strong voices.
Next year, the tournament heads to Milan, Italy. You’d say the Italians have a lot to live up to, but when an event is such a strong, boisterous celebration of human nature - however trite that might sound - the organising committee has nothing to worry about.
