Mini World Cup gives immigrants ‘a chance to make friends’

A MINI World Cup soccer tournament brought 150 players from 14 countries representing Cork’s rapidly growing immigrant community together for the first time over the weekend.

Saturday’s tournament was the first of its kind in the country and took place on the city’s northside.

It was designed to promote cultural integration and provide a support network for the city’s estimated 10,000 immigrants. Players were either working in Cork, or have asylum seeker or refugee status. Teams from Zimbabwe, Togo, Lithuania, Eritrea, Cameroon, Sudan, Somalia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Croatia, Cote d’Ivoire, and two from Poland took part.