World Cup Odyssey - A fool and his football are soon parted
Last updated 06/04/2009 12:14:39
World Cup Odyssey
England hope to all but cement their place in the 2010 World Cup finals against the Ukraine at Wembley on Wednesday but the long journey to South Africa begins on April Fools day for a band of fans.
Englishmen Christian Wach and Phil Wake, along with Kiwi Andrew Aris, launched the latest of their "World Cup Odysseys" from England to South Africa today, April 1.
The journey that will engage them and their football in a five month game of football on a 10,000 mile football pilgrimage across Europe and Africa to Johannesburg.
This will be their third epic journey and it takes place in the months leading up to the start of Africa's first ever World Cup. Their journey is a chance for people around the world to engage with an entire continent in the spirit of humanity.
Every four years they travel from the very pitch where the first game of modern rules football was claimed to be played (Battersea Park in London) and make their way overland to the Opening Ceremony of the FIFA World Cup. Their ball is not just any ball, but it is "The Ball", football's equivalent to the Olympic Torch. It is, they say, the star of the beautiful game.
In 2002, they travelled 8,000 miles with The Ball, going overland, on foot, by bus, or train (and very occasionally by plane) across Central and Eastern Europe into Asia to reach their final destination, the World Cup finals in Korea and Japan. On the way they met and played football with grassroots fans from Tibetan monks high in the mountains of China, to street urchins in the turbulent republics of Central Asia.
For the finals four years later in 2006, they and their precious ball travelled to Munich, Germany. During the World Cup, The Ball was the guest of honour at a 24-hour Football Against Racism marathon. It also held court over an EU youth exchange that investigated fan culture in European football.
In 2010, the boys and The Ball will cross the Sahara, sample the heights of Kilimanjaro and witness the euphoria that The Ball creates in slums and cities en route. From street to stadium, this will be a remarkable celebration of the power and pleasure football brings to a myriad of wonderful African cultures. Each and everyone they meet will be given the opportunity to sign The Ball and in doing so become involved in this powerful grassroots movement.
Everyone will have the chance to get to know the boys and the diversity of people, music and culture they encounter by following their blogs on the web — as well as in a series of documentary programmes charting their epic journey.
If you too want to have a kick–around with these mad football fans and sign The Ball then get in touch with them now. And in 2014, who knows, maybe you can help them kick The Ball to Brazil!