PUNE: Sapna Jaiswar from Mumbai, Ravina Suryawanshi from Nagpur and Shubhangi Bhandare from Ahmednagar are all set to participate in the 17th Homeless Football World Cup scheduled to take place in Cardiff.
The trio from Maharashtra are among 500 players from across 50 countries who will participate in the event which will be held from July 27 to August 3.
The players from Maharashtra will represent India along with 13 other young football players from underprivileged backgrounds across the country. These players will be a part of the annual tournament organised by the Homeless World Cup Foundation, a social organisation that advocates the end of homelessness through the sport of association football.
Excited about the chance, Sapna said, “I currently live in Mumbai, but my family comes from a rural village in Pune. I lost my older brother in my childhood and my father resorted to alcohol and quit his job. That was the toughest phase of my life. I somehow struggled through it and started playing football in my community and then went on to play for a small club, away from home. My selection in the Homeless World Cup comes as a great breakthrough and I’m thrilled to represent my country in the World Cup.”
“My father is a Vada Pav vendor and my mother rolls rotis in a local restaurant in Ahmednagar. We live in the slums and both my parents strive extremely hard to make ends meet. I was about 13-years old when I began playing football. I participated in a state-level tournament in Nagpur organised by Slum Soccer. My performance led to my selection in the Homeless World Cup 2019. Cristiano Ronaldo is my role model and I hope to play as a forward just like him.” said Shubhangi while talking about her participation in the tournament.
While talking about the opportunity Ravina said,“I live in Nagpur with my parents and 3 siblings. I started playing football, with my friends, when I was in High School. All of us used to walk for over 16 kilometres a day to reach the playground. Eventually, I started exceeding at the sport and realised that my hobby had turned into passion. My selection in the Homeless World Cup is a great boost of motivation and I am extremely excited to be a part of the Homeless World Cup team. I wish to make my entire family and friends proud.”
