Gothia Cup

Gothia Cup
Founded 1975
Television broadcasters Viasat
Website http://www.gothiacup.se/

The Gothia Cup is the biggest youth football tournament in the world,[1] held annually in Gothenburg, Sweden. Competing youth teams throughout the world enter the competition.

Background

The opening ceremony and finals are held on Ullevi.

Fireworks at the opening ceremony.

Spanning one week Gothia Cup is a youth football tournament held annually in Gothenburg, Sweden, open for both boys and girls of ages 11 to 19 years. With regards to the number of participants, it is the world's largest football tournament: in 2011, a total of 35,200 players from 1567 teams and 72 nations participated. Gothia Cup started in 1975 with 275 participating teams. In July each year, the event becomes the dominant event in Gothenburg, with (as of 2006) 4,320 games played on 91 fields, and 300,000 visitors to the centre on Heden. According to the tourist authorities of Gothenburg, the 2006 Gothia Cup generated 282 million Swedish kronor in tourist income for Gothenburg city and 118 million kronor in tax income for Sweden.

Teams from many countries participate. These include Sweden, Hungary, Poland, Germany, Austria, Norway, Finland, United States, Switzerland, Belgium, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Iceland, France, Bolivia, Denmark, Canada, Australia, Philippines, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand, Mongolia, Kenya, India, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, England, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Morocco, Sudan, Jordan, Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon, Russia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Moldavia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Romania, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Republic of Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Spain, Greece, Malta, Montenegro, Croatia, Turkey, Lebanon, Indonesia, Italy, Slovakia, and Serbia and Singapore and the United States.

Age cheating

The Under 18 competition in 2013 was won by Kampala Junior Team[2][3] from Uganda who defeated GAIS 5-2 after penalties[4] with the assistance of over-age players. The triumphant Kampala side fielded KCCA FC goalkeeper Jamal Salim[5][6] and midfielder Gaddafi Kiwanuka albeit without knowledge of their Lugogo employers. Salim, a Ugandan international player, changed his name to Omar Magoola and made an immense contribution in the finals by saving two penalties.[7][8] Besides Salim and Kiwanuka, Ssali Edris Tamale - a third year student at Nkumba University - also featured for the side. He is reported to have changed his identity by changing his name from 'Tamale' to 'Yamale' in the new passport he acquired. Another age cheat in this squad is identified as Eriasa Sserwadda a graduate from Nkumba University.[7]

Famous participants

This list includes notable players who played in Gothia Cup in their youth and later had been playing for their national teams.[9][10][11][12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "World's largest youth soccer cup gets underway in Gothenburg". www.sverigesradio.se. SR International – Radio Sweden. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  2. ↑ "Kampala Junior Team". Beyond Sport World. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  3. ↑ "Gothia Cup 2013". Kampala Junior Team. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  4. ↑ "Gothia Cup - Finals". Gothia Cup. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  5. ↑ "Kampala Junior Team On Verge Of Gothia Cup Glory". Chimpreport. 2013-07-19. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  6. ↑ "Kampala side wins Gothia Cup". Daily Monitor. 2013-07-24. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  7. 1 2 "Age Cheats: KJT use over-age players in Gothia and Tivoli Cups". Kawowo Sports. 2013-07-31. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  8. ↑ "Age Cheats: Jamal Salim, Kiwanuka feature for KJT U-18 in Go". News Kenya. 2013-07-31. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
  9. ↑ http://www.gothiacup.se/swe/turneringsinfo/faktastatistik/visste-du-att/
  10. ↑ http://www.gothiacup.se/swe/turneringsinfo/faktastatistik/all-star-team/
  11. ↑ http://www.expressen.se/gt/gothia-cup-har-vaxt-ur-sin-kostym/
  12. ↑ http://www.gp.se/nyheter/bilder/1.675570-stjarnorna-som-spelat-gothia-cup

External links

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