SACRAMENTO 2023 HOMELESS WORLD CUP: FIFPRO Fair Play Awards (Day 2 & 3)
Credit: Dan Higginson
Day 3 saw the first and second FIFPRO Fair Play Awards presented to teams at the 2023 Homeless World Cup, currently taking place at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California.
The Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels (International Federation of Footballers), widely known as FIFPRO, is the world’s footballer’s union, representing around 65,000 professional footballers worldwide and the organisation has been a key supporter of the Homeless World Cup Foundation since 2015. FIFPRO sponsor a daily Fair Play Award at the Homeless World Cup each year.
The Homeless World Cup is of course a football competition; however, the values and ethos go beyond winning trophies. At its heart the tournament’s goal is to create a global community of players who feel included in society. The daily FIFPRO Fair Play Awards build on these ideals of the tournament. The awards are presented to teams and individuals who have demonstrated the values of fair play, respect and sportsmanship.
Credit: Dan Higginson
The Day 1 FIFPRO award was won by the Danish men’s team. After a tough defeat on Day 1, the Danish team did not stop smiling and refused to let defeat spoil their enjoyment of the start of the tournament. They stayed positive and everyone on the team visibly enjoyed themselves, relishing the moment and the opportunity of being at the Homeless World Cup. They were at a disadvantage to other teams, having only four players on their team. This meant all players were on the pitch for the whole of every game on opening day. (Teams usually have substitutes who are changed out regularly to allow for breaks and recovery during the fast-paced intense games.) Despite the heat and lack of respite, the team demonstrated great resilience and positivity.
The Danish team were surprised to win and said they felt ‘very good’.
Credit: Dan Higginson
The Polish men’s team were the Day 2 FIFPRO award winners. The Polish team were highlighted as embodying the spirit of the game and good sportsmanship. Finding themselves leading Australia by some margin, they showed the utmost respect for their opponent by offering encouragement and getting the crowd involved in cheering their opposition on.
When asked what the award meant to the team, the Polish captain said, ‘I’m very happy, because this is my, I think, first Fair Play Award in such a big tournament…I would like to say, it’s not me winning. The whole team won…We respect all the teams here.’
Both of the FIFPRO awards were presented by local Sacramento Republic FC player Aldair Sanchez, who posed with teams and shook hands with the players before they kicked off the final game of Day 3 of the tournament.
Both teams are well-deserving of their awards. Truly the spirit of Homeless World Cup fair play values on display!
Written by Alix Gunn
Photo by Daniel Higginson