football

Football J

Every afternoon some form of sport has to be played to entertain the children of Buguruni, often football, but they now know how to play touch rugby, netball, rounder’s (ultimate Frisbee is slowly getting there!)

Back in January i asked the lads if they were ready for a football match and they were well up for it. So i went around asking the other local schools if they were willing for a match but they all turned it down when they found out it was the “deaf school”.

Mama Hamish (boss) kindly explained to me that in Tanzania its illegal for “normal” people to play against “diasbleled/deaf people” this made me so soo angry (a head butting the computer screen moment). What kind of law is that? I thought the Nazis made those kind of laws?, nevertheless rules are meant to be broken.

A team of Indian guys who train nearby were keen for the challenge when i explained them the situation- so we got our self’s a match J

Many of the lads had no football boots, most even played in bare feet, forget about uniforms and shin pads. It was bibs Vs no bibs. The opposing team turned up in nice shiny kit, football boots and shin pads all looking very smug.

Buguruni boys gave them a run for their money, by the end of the first half we had scored 3 goals (2 of which were hat tricks by Kelvin) and the pros were losing, 3-0 to Buguruni. This made their manager very angry, D)

However during the second half the lads were exhausted, no matter how many subistutes we did, we didn’t have a huge amount of energy. The pros however were slightly embrassed and were keen to get the score up whatever the cost. There were injuries to bare feet- result  of studs meeting unprotected skin (often on purpose) elbowing, shoving. This typically enough made all of us at the sidelines very angry, our ref (who has being blessed with deafness) fortunately didn’t hear the abuse for not sending the pros off.

We ended in a 4-4 draw, i seriously couldn’t ask for more. It was the best football match i have ever seen and the boys loved playing every second of it. It’s just a real shame that the politicians who wear suits and just simply sit in their office without seeing the real world don’t understand the real potential deaf/diasbleled people could have for sports. But hey this is TIT= This Is Tanzania. (TITS is another alternative, let me know when you have worked it out!)

I WILL be coming back to Buguruni again, hopefully bringing out some deaf friends to expirence this awesome place. When I do come out, i would love to bring some presents for the lads here. The thing they keep asking me for is football boots, if you have any old/unloved football boots (or trainers, socks, shinpads) that you need to get rid of, please give them to the boys of Buguruni!

Simonx