‘Two balls, a dirt field and a handful of cones’ — soccer team’s amazing story
London — The Matabeleland soccer team’s dramatic, crowd-funded journey from a dirt field to becoming stars of the sport’s alternative World Football Cup is a mighty contrast with the upcoming billion-dollar bonanza of Russia 2018. The Zimbabwean side won hearts at the London-held tournament for football’s outsiders, thanks to their infectious joy at simply being there — made possible by a shoestring budget of crowd-funding and donations. But as they head home on Monday, the team hopes it was not the pinnacle of their journey but the first step in reinvigorating a region ravaged under the rule of deposed president Robert Mugabe. Matabeleland beat Sri Lankan side Tamil Eelam 1-0 on Saturday to finish 13th in the 16-team Conifa World Football Cup, an alternative tournament for unrecognised nations, small states and ethnic identities left outside the game’s governing body Fifa. Fuelled by team spirit, with traditional singing and dancing turning their games into carnivals, the side also...
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