Torgeir Fjeld and Denise Pheiffer They made a brave effort, but were simply too short to make it to the finals. A South African under-14 team of players from Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha won their group in the world’s biggest football tournament for kids, but were knocked out in the final rounds by Brazilian side Pequenios, who later went on to win their 14th title since the tournament began in 1972. The Norway Cup, an event that brings together 25 000 players from 36 countries, had its first South African team among the contenders last week. The South Africans won their group, after two victories and one tie against Norwegian teams, and went on to win their first game of the final rounds. Manager Clive Bailey from Mitchells Plain said one difference between the teams was that some of South Africa’s players were as young as 12 and smaller than the Brazilians, who were all 14 and won 3-0. “Regardless of the result, this is a great experience for these children. They have learned here that the sport is always the winner, that it is important how you play,” he says. The South Africans stayed at a school close to the tournament venue, which they shared with teams from Ethiopia, Zambia, the Middle East and Brazil. As part of the tournament’s environmental programme, the children were encouraged to collect cardboard boxes for recycling, and South Africa, who collected the most boxes, were awarded 5E000 kroner (about R4E000) – handed to them by Norwegian Minister of Regional Affairs Sylvia Brustad. The South Africans decided to spend the prize money on a get- together with the other teams who stayed in the same school, among them the players from Pequenios. “They helped us collect boxes, now we will buy all of them a treat and have a get-together,” says Bailey. “The most important thing isn’t whether we won the tournament, but that the players learn about each other and get a chance to meet young people from other countries,” says co-ordinator Stefan Howells. “It is a matter of sending young ambassadors to represent South Africa in an informal arena. Sports is as important as politics or trade,” says Thivhilaeli Makatu, third secretary at the South African embassy in Oslo, who came to congratulate the team on their efforts and the prize they won for environmental work. The South African team was sponsored by the Sports for All project, financed by the Norwegian Olympic Committee and the Norwegian aid organisation Norad.