Under-20 in action in my backyard

After spending all of last summer criss-crossing around Germany it’s nice to see world class soccer being played in my backyard. The Under-20 World Cup in Canada has been a very successful so far according to all the major press outlets. I even managed to catch a few games myself.

While the press has done a good job of covering the technical aspects of the game, I have been surprised how little has been said about the context in which many of the players who have graced the pitches in Canada live.

For example, many of the players in the Congolese team are young enough to have lived through civil wars and militia conflicts. A peace accord to end the long-standing conflict between the government and rebels was reached just in 2003. Despite the peace accord, several militias are active in the south of the country.

This Under-20 World Cup was also a historical first because the North and South Korea participating at the same time. This has never happened before. It’s important to remember that these two countries are still technically at war.

Nigeria, which had played tremendously well, is a country that continues to experience civil conflict. Much of it driven by the politics over the control of the countries’ significant oil reserves. The Government of Canada and other Commonwealth countries condemned the Nigerian government and Shell in the recent past for the violence they have used against rural peoples.

If you weren’t aware of these facts before I hope you are now.

Bye for now,

Maty Campeonisimo

P.S. – Check out the new Make Goals Not War documentary trailer