Meet the father and son representing Lithuania
|Father and son, Rimantis and Benas represented Lithuania together. Image: HWC/Rebecca Corbett
“Everything is great”
Father and son Rimantis and Benas Buzevicius represented Lithuania at this year’s Wroclaw Cup in Poland with our partner
FK Feniksas (FC Phoenix).
When I ask Lithuanian players 66-year-old Rimantis and 32-year-old Benas: ‘Who is the better footballer?’ ‘He is’ Benas replies, pointing at his dad. Rimantis quietly smiles.
It’s not every day that you go to an international tournament and find father and son playing side by side.
Despite Rimantis being the supposed ‘better player’ there is no family rivalry between them, only admiration. Both have faced their own challenges to get where they are today.
Going back to 2006, Benas was 16 and Rimantis had just started a rehabilitation programme for alcohol addiction.
“I was drinking very heavily; it was causing problems with my family.” For four years after finishing the programme he didn’t drink, however in 2010 he had a relapse.
Around the same time, Rimantis joined FK Feniksas (FC Phoenix) – the Homeless World Cup’s partner in Lithuania.
He secured a place in the national team and represented Lithuania at the Homeless World Cup in Paris the following year. He’s not touched alcohol since.
Football has always played a key role in Rimantis and Benas’s relationship.
Rimantis remembers the family tournaments they played in when Benas was growing up – “in Lithuania they have Christmas family tournaments, family members can play indoor football – every year we played and played together in a city league.”
Rimantis explains, “football is a great thing for me in my life, because when you are playing football, it’s not as important to win, it’s about being together with teammates, speaking to each other, keeping everyone together – that’s the main thing.”
As Benas grew up, he started to realise he might have the same problems with alcohol as his father, he needed to stop drinking. Seeing how FK Feniksas had helped his dad, he joined the team.
Supporting the next generation
At FK Feniksas there are two teams – the veterans who have been playing since 2006 and the next generation of players. Benas joined the younger team, following in his father’s footsteps of using football to help him to tackle his struggles with alcohol.
“I am happy that I’m not drinking, not taking drugs – I’m only playing football,” Benas says.
At the tournament, both father and son are happy to be here representing their country. It’s a beautiful day in the Polish city and the sun is shining down and lighting up their bright yellow Lithuania kits.
“It feels good to be here together, to play football together with friends. It’s not so good today because we lost in the semi-final [they were defeated by Hungary who went on to win the tournament], but the main thing is to be here and have a great time. I like it. The city, the people, the atmosphere, and the weather.
“Football I think is about the team, it depends on all of the team members – you train together, you travel together, you live together, you’re playing and spending time together because you have the same problems. That means football is the best thing” Benas explains.
Rimantis adds, “The atmosphere is good, it’s a great feeling – the supporters, the football – everything is great.
“The relationship with all the players, they keep the team from Lithuania every year, they play indoor soccer, in the summer we play on the field. But the main thing is that we are together as a team, it’s about the relationships.”
There’s one relationship that is going from strength to strength, and that’s the relationship between this father and son. Representing Lithuania together is a memory they will never forget.
Find out more about our Lithuanian partner FK Feniksas (FC Phoenix)
Words: Rebecca Corbett
*Some quotes have been edited for clarity