By Ian Grant
Was in Manchester for the Urban Summit, so had the joys of being the only Arsenal supporter in a bar full of Mancs. Only slightly worse that being with 30 others in a stuffy front room of a £60,000 house waiting to interview John Prescott and Ken Livingstone.
Although one government minister did let slip that most fans in Manchester were the City variety, it didn’t appear so from the bar.
Went through the usual gamut – Cole should have been red carded; Wenger will whinge etc;
So given the intensity, strange I should walk into a London Hotel and see Thierry Henry and Mikael Silvestre talking close as friends, just two days later.
It wasn’t another secret meeting that had been rumbled, but a gala dinner for the Diambars Charity – the football based education trust in Senegal that Patrick Vieira is heading up.
Football is portrayed as perpetual confrontation, us against them; them against us. And it gets very insular and sometimes destructive as a result.
But this was us and us against it – players from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, Birmingham, Blackburn and others against poverty and ignorance – and it opened up a whole new perspective on what football can offer the world besides tribal belonging and separatism.
The players could have taken a high and mighty attitude, given their income and status. But they are so singularly impressive – down to earth, giving time to everyone, and having some fun in the process.
Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira had tables, along with William Gallas and Mikael Silvestre. Other players there included Salif Diao, Ramon Vega and Brad Friedel.
Not only did they give up their time, but they gave generously to the auction towards Diambars which fetched £65,000. Thierry paid £10,000 for a guitar, Ashley Cole around £2850 for a Maldini shirt outbidding William Gallas. Although Gallas did get a signed copy of Nelson Mandela’s book. And Sol Campbell got a signed Zidane shirt for £5000.
Diambars takes kids, who often can’t speak a word, between 13-18 years old and gives them an education, including football training at the beginning and end of the day.
Patrick Vieira stressed that it would be great if they became good or great footballers, but equally important is that some of them become successful businessmen, doctors and dentists.
Diambars trustee Mark Paris said that unscrupulous agents take kids with talent from Africa and import them to European clubs. Many of them won’t make it and they literally get dumped on the streets of Europe without being able to speak a word or look after themselves. This is what Diambars is fighting against.
This is a very worthwhile charity. And I recommend you support it if you can: