Ukraine won the World Cup two weeks ago, not the World Cup we all know and love but the seventh Homeless World Cup, the annual event that this year was held in Milan. Ukraine adding their name to the other list of winners, in order since 2003 - Austria, Italy, Italy, Russia, Scotland and Afghanistan. Scotland also having finished fourth in the competition in 2004, 2005 and 2008 while England have never done any better than second place in 2003 when they lost in the final to hosts Austria.
The game is played on a street court measuring 22m long and 16m wide in two seven minute halves, with a one minute interval, goalkeepers not being allowed to leave their 4m radius half-circle penalty area while attackers are not allowed in it. The player rules of entry in the fast moving four-a-side game of rolling substitutions are, according to the official website, to be at least 16 years old and have been homeless at some point after the previous World Cup, in accordance with the national definition of homelessness.
Other methods of entry being someone who makes their main living income as street paper vendor OR is an asylum seeker currently without positive asylum status or who was previously an asylum seeker but obtained residency status after the previous World Cup. OR someone who is currently in drug or alcohol rehabilitation and has been homeless at some point in the past two years before the competition, the last rule being that they must have not taken part in previous Homeless World Cup tournaments.
The competition which contained 48 teams from such far flung places across the globe as Australia, Costa Rica, Japan, Kyrgyzstan and Namibia split into first a preliminary stage and then a secondary stage, decided by results. The matches in that second stage then seeing the countries further split again into six rankings of 1-8, 9-16, 17-24, 25-32, 33-40 and 41-48 as each nation then competes for their own trophy in that section.
The six trophies on offer this year from first to last being The Homeless World Cup, FIGC Dignitary Cup, City of Milan Cup, The Milano Myland Host Cup, Croce Rossa Community Cup and finally the INSP Networking Trophy. Those trophies won in order by Ukraine, Chile, South Africa, Italy, Wales and Belgium, all the games over the eight day tournament being played on just two separate pitches in Milan, the San Siro and Lombardia ones at Arena Civica, Sempione Park.
As far as the five British Isles countries are concerned Northern Ireland were the only ones missing from the tournament. Their southern brothers did the best of the other four though as the Republic finished fifth overall while England came next, in tenth, after losing 6-3 to Chile in FIGC Dignitary Cup final, Scotland also in that section as they came twelfth in the final reckoning. Wales the only sectional winners after they defeated Sweden 9-7 in the Croce Rossa Community Cup final to end the tournament in the number 33 spot.
It's not just about a few games of football for a lot of the players though as the official Homeless World Cup website tells us that 77% of players involved experience a significant life change. Those being, no-longer using drugs and alcohol, moving into homes, jobs, education, training, repairing relationships and becoming coaches or players with semi-pro teams, 94% claiming to have a renewed motivation for life.
Brazil now prepare to host the 2010 tournament but at the end of this year's contest Mel Young, President of the Homeless World Cup closed proceedings with some poignant words for all. Young saying, ""Congratulations to the players. Your spirit of fair play, courage and determination is a true example to the human race. This is what the united nations can look like. People standing together creating change. A ball can change the world."
Completely at the other end of the spectrum to homeless people playing football and in a footnote to the Tranmere Rovers article on shirt sponsorship, the news came out recently that Liverpool have signed a new shirt deal with London-based bank Standard Chartered. The deal, due to start in the summer of 2010, ends Liverpool's 19 year deal with Carlsberg, with the Danish brewers not willing to match the £20 million a season four year offer made by Standard Chartered.
With Carlsberg only at the peak of their cash outlay paying Liverpool £7.2 million per annum it now means that the Anfield giants will have just about another £13 million in their pockets every season for the next four years. The £80 million contract equals the deal struck by Manchester United with American financial giant AON Corp in June, and was negotiated after July as soon as an exclusivity accord with Carlsberg ran out.
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