Football kicks out racism

The Groutville sports ground was alive with the spirit of community last Saturday, March 12 as more than a hundred people filled Groutville sports field for an U13 soccer tournament organised to take a stand against racism.

The tournament was co-organised by the Luthuli Museum in Groutville, popular regional radio station, Ukhosi FM and a small clutch of local residents, and sought to address the ongoing scourge of racism in South African society.

Eight teams from the Groutville, Melville and Malende townships were invited to compete in the soccer festival as a way of communicating the message of equality through the universal language of sport.

Phumlani Ndlovu, a Groutville resident and one of the tournament organisers, said the event was inspired by former ANC leader, Chief Albert Luthuli himself, who was a prominent social reformer.

“Soccer was one of Luthuli’s great passions, along with education, so the tournament was organised to honour his spirit of reform by using soccer to address the issue of racial division,” said Ndlovu.

In order to spread the anti-racism message as far and wide as possible, Ukhosi FM were present on the day, feeding its seven million listeners with live coverage of the event.

Local soccer coach for the Groutville Defeaters, Brian Mthembu, said the tournament was a great opportunity to bring the community together and enjoy the beautiful game.

“It is wonderful for my players to be involved in a festival like this, as it gives them the chance to do what they love most and play the game of football while they learn about the important issue of racism,” said Mthembu, who has been coaching the Defeaters every day from 4-6pm for the last two years.

The tournament took place under the national ‘#racismmustfall’ hashtag in a bid to bring the discussion to the youth of society.

“Children are our future, so it is crucial to educate them about racial equality so that the mistakes of the past are not repeated in years to come,” said Ndlovu.

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