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Our whole lives we wanted to use the power of football in something productive
At university we reached a curve, we had more passion to use football for something greater
'Street Child United' made something called 'The Street Child World Cup'
The first one was in South Africa in 2010, they do it before the main World Cup in the same country
so as to pick up the momentum in that country at that time. In South Africa there were
8 teams of boys and 4 teams of girls, playing 5 a side. It was a success.
So they decided to try it again in Brazil, but this time it's bigger - 20 teams of boys, and 8 teams of girls
The criteria to join is that the boys must have been living at least 2 years on the street
and at least one year in a shelter or NGO. At first we had big ideas that we would take the kids straight
from the street to the tournament, but it was difficult. They had to be rehabilitated for at least a year
Step by step we give the boys updates, we haven't said we're 100% going to go to Brazil
As we are still a little short on funds, and their passports are still being issued
But each step we're telling them and their excitement is rising alongside ours
From the beginning our dreams was as big as they can be. Sometimes the reality is less than that
but you'd never achieve these things if you don't have big dreams
We're hoping to win the tournament, or at least get into the last 4.
Some of them have changed. We've been with them now for a year or a year and a half
And there's been some big changes - they have more confidence, more acceptance
I won't say a complete change, but there's been slight changes in their lives
One of them said in an interview - 'we have something new in our lives'
It gives them some hope. And hope is enough for them to change a lot
Football is the second hope. The first hope is education, after that there's football
If I don't succeed in education there's football, if I don't succeed in football there's education
To be honest I didn't know how to play football at first, I'd watch and want to play
And then this opportunity came. They didn't say we'd go to Brazil, they said we'd make a team
And I was going to play in a team. Then the coach came to our shelter, we trained there
and they said we were moving to the next stage. Then we came to train here.
We're a group, we work together in the name of our country, in the name of Egypt
We play not just to win, but also to have fun. And we're a group.
I can't just take the ball and play by myself. We play together, so we must be in it together
I go forward and my team mates go back, I go back and they go forward
We have to understand each other. Football isn't just about winning and losing
If I win today, tomorrow I might lose. If I lose today, tomorrow I might win.
Football to me represents being part of a group, together, going forwards and backwards