Tag Archives: soccer

Our First Soccer Tournament

At five years old Tom was mad keen on soccer. His first tournament in Westville North was cause for great excitement. His team wore orange bibs and tackies and he played everywhere on the field and in the goals. Which he didn’t like. Boring, Dad.

Tom Soccer 008.jpg

He preferred the role of full-field chaser:

Tom on the ball, with Soccer Ma coaching

Champion Soccer Mom was there in full force and voice. That’s her on the right, Mom of triplets Yaya, Yasir and __. She was great, shouting encouragement and advice to all, especially her kids, TomTom and the star player for the orange bibs, Ntutuka. Here are her triplets in orange, on the left, 3rd from left and on the ball:

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Supporters traveled from afar to support their favourite team. God-parents Dizzi and Jon live a few hundred metres up the road so made the trek to cheer on their hero:

Tom first soccer tournament collage 1

Essential support came from the team manager Sir Aitch Ferguson:

Mom fusses over Tom

and the expert coach and tactician Me Mourinho – wearing a Galatasaray S.K cap (that’s Turkey’s best soccer club, turkey!):

Tomaldinho gets invaluable advice from his coach

After the game that all-important thank you team handshake. Tom not exactly the tallest team member:

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Later tournaments required more kit. We HAVE to have these latest and greatest boots, Dad! We simply CAN’T play without them! Us superstars need our bling!

Tom soccer tournament 7yrs old
Tom soccer tournament 7yrs old
Tom kneels getting instructions from coach
Real boots and a real coach!

Tomaldinho! I was seeing dollars sign$ I was going to sign him up with Amazulu – No Dad!! PSG in Paris!! Oh. My bad.

But then suddenly it was rugby. RUGBY Dad! I need new boots. You can’t play rugby in soccer boots, Dad! I’m a rugger player now!

 

 

Soccer Star, Almost

Tomaldinho! I was seeing dollars sign$ I was going to sign him up with Amazulu in Durban – No Dad!! PSG in Paris!! Oh. My bad. I need new boots, Dad! Lime green ones.

– Soccer Tom – ‘It was nothing chaps! I do this every day!’ – about to be mobbed after scoring –

But then suddenly it was rugby. RUGBY Dad! I need new boots. You can’t play rugby in soccer boots, Dad! I’m a rugger player now!

I Played Soccer in Brasil

Pousada in Amazon East of Manaus
Pousada in Amazon East of Manaus

What’s all the fuss about? I played soccer in Brazil meself.

For an international team made up mainly of African players against a side made up only of Brazilians, back in 1988. Yes Brazil, then three-times World Champions. They have since taken their World Champions tally up to five.

The game took place in Amazonas province on Silves Island about 300km by road and ferry east of the capital Manaus. An epic battle ensued. We went ahead and they drew level; Then we went ahead again, and they drew level again. Their striker’s name was Cesar, who maybe thought we’d be intimidated because he caught crocodiles with his bare hands. We weren’t. We faced him bravely, refusing to bow to his calls to say Hail Cesar! when we spoke to him.

At full-time we were once again ahead, but they insisted on playing on – and on, and on – until they drew level again and could declare the game over. No way they were going to allow a defeat on home soil!! In the interests of international relations (and because we were on an island deep in the Amazon, and because they were going to be making our supper) we sportingly allowed this sleight of hand tactic.

footnotes:

Did I mention I was on for about two minutes before spraining my toe?
Even though the Brasilian team went back to their work as waiters, cleaners and river guides in the pousada (lodge) we were staying in after the game, they were still BRAZILIAN SOCCER PLAYERS.
It was epic.
Oh, and Cesar the river guide did indeed catch something with his bare hands, but it was a lot smaller than our leguaans, poor thing.

1988Amazonas (5)
The Rio Urubu flows into Lago Canacari, on the northern edge of which you’ll find Silves Island.

We went the whole way (290km) by
We drove 290km by “bus”, a truck with seats on the back in a canopy-style arrangement, cut off from the driver!

On the way: Nowhere did it look like real ‘Amazon jungle’.

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Everywhere signs of trees being felled.

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In 1988 a lot of the road was untarred.

The ferry across a river on the way.

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