Keen to boost its social image, Fifa built football centres across Africa to help develop poor neighbourhoods. If only the money had been put where the mouth was.

Life doesn’t come in many flavours for township teenagers, explains soccer coach Gcina Mondi (29). “If you don’t play sports, you’re out on the streets. And when you’re out on the streets, you’re either thinking about sex, or about theft. So I prefer to give them a ball and teach them some things before they do anything stupid.”

Mr Mondi runs the Football for Hope centre in the Harare area of Khayelitsha, Cape Town’s biggest township. “This used to be a dumping place where people got mugged 24/7. Now it’s a field where hundreds of children enjoy their soccer practice and learn how to avoid hiv.”

Extravaganza meets social
The Football for Hope centre in Khayelitsha is one of the so-called ’20 centres for 2010’. In an attempt to add some corporate social responsibility to the multi-billion-dollar World Cup extravaganza, Fifa opened 20 soccer fields in disadvantaged areas of big cities across the African continent. The organization was quick to announce that this World Cup would tackle social problems, including poor education and HIV/AIDS .

Fifa didn’t mention that it only paid one tenth of the costs for the 20 Football for Hope centres, a total of around one million euros. Peanuts in comparison to the 500-million euro price tag of Cape Town’s newly built Green Point Stadium.

Skybox with a view
Former CEO of the Green Point Stadium, Purshoth Chetty, waves away criticism that an upgrade of the already existing Athlone stadium would have benefitted more soccer fans, traditionally black people from the townships, for about one third of the costs. “Yes, Athlone was a cheaper option, but you should look at it in a different light. Green Point Stadium has views of Table Mountain and Robben Island and is situated in a beautiful park, which is accessible to Capetonians of all walks of life.”

Even though the stadium has only been used for a handful of events since the World Cup and with the popular Cape Town Minstrel Carnival having to cancel their shows in the stadium because they couldn’t afford the fees, Mr Chetty insists that the stadium is a catalyst for development, and worth every rand that was put into it.

Condom footballs
At Khayelitsha’s Football for Hope centre, a group of twelve-year olds, some without shoes, is mid-way in their ‘skills practice’. With a ball representing their life, they zigzag between HIV risk signs. Whoever hits his life with ‘unprotected sex’, ‘multiple partners’ or ‘sugar mammies and daddies’ has to do push-ups.

Gcina Mondi laughs when he hears how children from a neighbouring township sometimes use inflated condoms to play soccer. “At least they’re playing it safe. It’s good that they’re not ashamed of condoms. And when they’re a bit older, I’m sure they’ll find out what else you can use them for.”

On the field, some 30 boys end their skills practice with a group yell: “Abstain!"