TEL AVIV – The pitch at Beit Danny, in the Hatikva neighbourhood of Tel Aviv, hosted an unusual occasion last Saturday: the final of the African National Teams Solidarity Tournament, a competition that brought a slice of the continent to southern Tel Aviv.
Eight sides took part in the competition during September-October, drawn from across Israel’s African communities: Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Kenya, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Cameroon and Tanzania. They were split into two groups.
Sudan proved the most popular team of the tournament. Hundreds of spectators turned out for their matches, in a neighbourhood that is home to many members of Israel’s African community.
The semi-final between Sudan and the Ivory Coast produced scenes with hundreds of fans perched along the fences to watch. The Elephants won 5-1 to reach the final, where they would face Nigeria, who had beaten Kenya in the other semi-final.
The final itself was tightly contested between Ivory Coast and Nigeria. Ivory Coast came out on top 3-2, with the match still in the balance in the closing minutes, to win the tournament.
The tournament was organised by a group of asylum seekers from Sudan, led by Mohanad Abdelmoneim. Together, they founded the Sudan national team in Israel, which in turn inspired the creation of the other sides. The event was backed by Joey Low, a Jewish philanthropist who invests in and supports different initiatives in Israel, especially among its African community.
“There is a large community of Africans in Israel, and we want to connect them to this place. Israel’s image in Africa needs to change,” said Pastor Alberts Wanga, founder of Africa Blesses Israel, an organisation is dedicated to ties between African countries and Israel.
Nigeria’s ambassador to Israel, Ms Nkechi L. Ufochukwu, said the event was a welcome one. “Sport connects people to people, and people to a place, and football is an integral part of Nigerian identity and culture,” she added. “This is simply a wonderful initiative, and I hope there will be more like it in the coming future.”
Photos are courtesy of Uri Levy/BabaGol©
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