After a hearty lunch provided by Group Danone, everyone was ready for some serious fun. The young players dropped their serious faces on the pitch, and some of the organisational staff even joined parents in cheering the teams on from the sidelines.
The team from Uruguay brought a group of fans as many as two full soccer teams. And what support they gave their team: cheering, singing
- and even a few vuvuzelas made this group as entertaining to watch as their young counterparts on the pitch.
Edward Bermuyez, coach of the u/12 Uruguay team, was glowing with pride. “I am very happy with the way our team has performed today. We are already in the top 16, and I am sure our loyal supporters contributed to that,” he laughs.
The fun was not restricted to the pitch though. Various activities kept tomorrow’s soccer stars busy while they had some time off from the pitch. The teams learnt to paint clay pots in the Zulu tradition, learned the diski dance, and even the world cup dance, the waka waka - with South Africa’s own imitation Shakira.
There were a lot of laughs as kids from 45 countries learned to do the well-known South African gum boot dance too - some faring better than others. When approached for a comment, a member of the Irish entourage quipped humorously: “Sorry, I don’t speak English.. Only Irish!”
Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, Czech republic, Japan, Spain, Uruguay and Argentina emerged top of their groups. The team from Canada stood out for their excellent team work and good clean game. The South African 2009 team are doing well in the tournament and are unbeaten so far.
One of the two young ladies in the Canadian team was fascinated by the different strengths of each team. “It is really cool to see how one team is stronger in shooting than the other, and that some teams can pass to each other like machines,” she says. “This is an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. Spending time with all these kids from around the world makes me realise how different we are, although we share the same planet.”
Tomorrow looks to be another exciting day at the sporting complex of the University of Pretoria, when the knockout stages will begin based on rankings the players worked hard to achieve today.
