Kids' Brazil dreams shattered

[caption id="attachment_36964" align="alignright" width="405"] KIA STREET SOCCER CHAMPS: The City Lads u-13 side say they were promised a trip to Brazil. Picture: SAM MAJELA[/caption]

FOR months, a group of Port Elizabeth street soccer players have been preparing to go to the Fifa World Cup in Brazil – only to discover this week their once-in- a-lifetime trip was not to be.

The group of six under-13 City Lads players were crowned the National Street Soccer Champions in September last year, and as part of their prize, the winners were promised a trip to the 2014 Fifa World Cup.

Since then, their parents have been preparing for the trip, applying for passports and buying new clothes for the boys.

But the dream was shattered yesterday when the competition organisers confirmed they would not be sending the team to Brazil due to lack of funds.

They claim they had said a trip was only mentioned as a possibility during the competition.

New Brighton parent Mandisa Sibhozo, whose son Andile was named the top goal-scorer at the tournament, said they had been told by the team coach after the tournament that their children were going to Brazil. "So we prepared for that. We had to do passports, buy new clothes and make sure they had enough money for the trip. We were told to wait for correspondence from the organisers, and they have been quiet.

"This has been a crushing disappointment for the children, who had their hearts set on this trip. They told all their friends and their schools about it."

Another parent, Nomzamo Msila, whose daughter Nolitha was voted the best girl player at the tournament, said the frustrating thing was not knowing exactly who was to blame for the mix-up.

"It is more than a week into the World Cup and our children are still waiting to go to Brazil. We really don't know what is going on."

Parent Nomfumaneko Kona said the cancellation of the trip made them look like liars to the community.

"After we were told about the trip, we did everything to make sure our children did not miss out on the opportunity. I even asked for sponsorship from my friends and other people to make sure my son had enough clothes.

"Now people will think I was lying and wanted the money for myself."

The trip to Brazil as one of the prizes was well publicised in the build-up to the finals, with newspapers in Cape Town, the Free State and Eastern Cape reporting on it. Coach Zolani Matiwana said they had been informed by the organisers after the finals that they would be going to Brazil.

"We were told to wait for more correspondence, but we prepared our team in the meantime. It was only this week the organisers said there was no funding."

City Lads president Mxolisi Ngqokwe said the organisers never said the trip was only a possibility. "If they had been upfront with us, we would never have told everyone that our kids are going to Brazil. It's just that the trip was never put in writing as a prize. But they told us we were going to Brazil."

Organisers Sporting Chance said the trip was never guaranteed. Spokeswoman Natalie Pollock said it was just an idea.

"It was only ever mentioned as a possibility, never a guarantee.

"We said it would only happen if we got sponsors on board, and we did not. We were very specific about that, but maybe they got excited about the prospect."

South African Football Association president in Nelson Mandela Bay, Monde Mhletywa, said he did not believe that so many people could have misunderstood about the trip. "We need to find out what exactly happened." - Thulani Gqirana