The conclusion of our ground-breaking multi-ethnic tournament that brought together fierce city rivals Velez Mostar and Zrinjski Mostar onto the same pitch playing in harmony was upon us, and it was those two teams who were to play out a breath-taking final.
First, it was the turn of Branitelj and MAS Mostar to fight for third place. Once again under the baking Mostar sun and with the ‘Love Football, Hate Racism’ banner displayed proudly in the stands above them, it was Branitelj who prevailed in a match played with much fair play and team spirit. All that was left now was to see the final, and the culmination of all of our hopes and dreams, to bring the children of Zrinjski and Velez together.
In truth, despite the children being only 12 years of age, the derby still meant an awful lot to them, and so the game was more competitive than any other before in the tournament. This did, however, nothing to quash the achievement of a British NGO with only the aim of harmony in football, as children all shook hands before and after the game, even sharing jokes and getting along with one another after the outcome was decided.
The eventual winners were Zrinjski via a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw, but even as they stood on the podium, losers Velez did nothing but congratulate their opponents, and there was no gloating from the winners, either. The team photo of all of the organisers and players with their trophies afterwards epitomised the success of what we had done. More interest was also generated in the Bosnian media, as those outlets who had missed out on the opportunity to interview us on the Saturday crowded around us. In Mostarlife, the city’s popular local newspaper, we were documented here.
Talks between our tour leaders and the manager of the young Velez team also proved to be promising, as he said there was plenty of scope for the tournament to be held annually, and for Velez to participate in FBB tournaments around the world in the future. Every year from now on, therefore, at least one FBB representative will travel to Mostar to host the tournament and see how the community progresses in attitudes of fair play and tolerance.
Tomorrow would be our last day in Mostar, where we would once again work with local orphans, saying thank you for everything they had done for us by holding more football workshops to engage with the children, who, after the experiences they have suffered, are striving to be the next generation to bring peace and integration into Bosnian society.
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