Belfast hosts Anti-Racism World Cup

FOOTBALL players from Havana to the West Bank will kit out on Irish soil today, as they give racism the red card.

The Anti-Racism World Cup kicks off in Belfast with 16 teams battling it out for top prize.Players from different racial and national backgrounds will compete over two days as part of the Feile an Phobail, west Belfast.

Players hail from Cuba, the Congo, the Basque country, Palestine, Italy, England, Catalonia, Kurdistan and Germany.

A number of local Irish teams will also compete.

The Belfast festival will last seven days and is seen as one of the largest community-led festival in Europe. Musical acts will include DJ David Holmes, a number of punk bands as well as renowned songwriter John Spillane.

Events will also include a number of drive in film screenings, dramas, debates, as well as a number of literary events.

Visitors to the festival were being encouraged last night to get a taste of all the shows on during the week ahead.

Festival director Sean Paul O’Hare explained: “The August Féile is one of the most diverse cultural festivals in Ireland. Central to our ethos is bringing people together to celebrate not only our culture but every culture, residing in or visiting Belfast. The Anti-Racism World Cup is a prime example of this.

“We are privileged to be hosting it this year and the fact that this will take place as part of our festival is symbolic of the inclusively which underpins our values.”