Jimmy Campbell dreams of lifting the World Cup - with a rag-tag team of Asian street kids who can't even afford boots.
via Khmer NZ
Jul 7 2010
Alan Carson
The Scot coaches the six-strong squad of young Cambodians who will compete at this year's Homeless World Cup in Brazil.
His youngsters will fly the flag for their country at the street soccer tournament which kicks off in Rio in September. For them, the chance to play with teams from 63 other nations offers hope and the chance to get their troubled lives back on track.
In the capital Phnom Penh more than 10,000 youngsters scratch out a living on the city streets or try to survive by raking through rubbish tips. Glue sniffing and child prostitution are widespread. Others have been orphaned or made to work long hours by brutal taskmasters.
But Glaswegian Jimmy believes he can help kids escape the abject poverty by teaching them the beautiful game.
He said: "Through our partner organisations, we work with children who have been orphaned or rescued from brothels or other forms of slavery.
"We fund a football programme that offers these young people an opportunity to learn the skills required to play the game and learn how to be part of a team. We provide them with football boots and gear, as well as ensuring they get the best possible coaching from professionals.
"Without the fear of contradiction, I can say this will be a life-changing event for these players."
The Cambodian team is made up of Yang Vanny, 19, Loat Chorbb, 23, Chun Keo Rith, 18, Han Sithyrith, 16, thavry Chory, 20, and Chak Sovannara, 17.
Jimmy, 49, was once a budding starlet himself, dreaming of soccer stardom. He went semi-professional and trialled with Dundee, Motherwell, Charlton Athletic and Northampton Town but played at Scottish junior level.
He decided to pack his bags and go round the world. He arrived in Cambodia in 1994 and stayed for two years. In 1995, he launched an inter-school tournament for eight secondaries in Phnom Penh.
Jimmy said: "It was called the FCC Cup and all the kids were supplied with kit, balls, allocated coaches and competed in games played at the Olympic Stadium."
Jimmy left Cambodia the following year and went to live in Australia where he ran a successful coaching academy. He took an under-17 team on tour to Manchester where he was given access to the methods used by Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson in developing young players.
He also coached senior men's teams in the New South Wales Super League and was voted Coach of the Year in 2005.
He headed back to Europe where he passed UEFA's B level coaching certificate and returned to Cambodia three years ago.
He became a coach with Happy Football Cambodia Australia, a charity helping disadvantaged kids through football. A former coach with Italian giants Inter Milan was helping out HFCA and was looking for qualified coaches. Jimmy's credentials and determination got him a job.
Today, he has a team of eight assistants to oversee a coaching programme working with of hundreds of under-privileged boys and girls.
Every weekend, Jimmy also puts his World Cup hopefuls through their paces at the Boeung Keng Kang School.
He went on: "Football is really big in Cambodia. You see guys playing it everywhere. The professional league is still in its infancy though.
"The youngsters we coach all live in orphanages. Some have been abused, others have spent parts of their lives living and working on rubbish dumps. Some have been abandoned by their families. The one thing they have in common is that they are all disadvantaged."
Jimmy now hopes his boys can do themselves proud in their second tilt at the Homeless World Cup.
Last year, he took the side to Italy where they earned rave reviews from fans and officials.
He said: "I was struck by the great camaraderie among the players in Milan. at emotional bonding was so real, so giving. I can say that almost overnight boys became men."
This time, they will take part in the week-long event at the renowned Copacabana beach. Teams compete in two rounds of round-robin matches before a final grouping decides who claims one of six winners' trophies.
Jimmy is keen to ensure his players make the most out of their trip, rather than concentrating too hard on results.
He added: "It is better to lower our expectations. Of course we want the side to do well. But at the same time, we want these players, who have been weighed down by circumstances rather than choice, to see and feel what the rest of the world is like."
Despite their troubled upbringing, Jimmy insists no one is granted leeway on their efforts on the pitch. He said: "There is no special dispensation, pity or sympathy. I treat them like any other players. Of course, I'm compassionate but you can't walk around with compassion all the time."
In April 1975, the Khmer Rouge regime drove the population out of cities, towns and villages under a plan of social engineering which saw Cambodia turned into agricultural communes with the people forced into labour camps.
Their four years of rule caused the destruction of cultural, social, economic and political life and the genocide of as many as 1.7million Cambodians through famine, execution and forced labour.
The legacy of this left devastated Cambodia one of the poorest countries in the world. But football is now enjoying a renaissance with every spare inch of available pitch taken over.
The pitch at the Boeung Keng Kang High School, where Jimmy coaches on Saturday mornings, has poor drainage and virtually no grass. Many of the players play barefoot.
But Jimmy said: "Players will just play on anything, in any condition."
Jimmy is now seeking sponsors to help cover airfares, visas, passports and expenses for the World Cup trip. Go to www.goldstarfootballcoaching.com to find out more.
No comments:
Post a Comment