5 days in Johannesburg

After a 15 hours journey on a plane started in Paris, I finally arrive in Johannesburg where Doc and Ams are waiting for me. Doc is the man working for an organization called “Youth Zones” and working in a partnership with Arsenal all over Africa. I would find out during these five days in Johannesburg that Doc is one of the most generous person have ever met.

Armando was the next person to be picked up at the hotel he has been staying for a week. We then went at Sandton Station in the center of Johannesburg to wait the last Gapper of the Mozambique crew : James.

Once everyone was reunited, Doc took us to a nice restaurant to talk about South Africa and others businesses around the life in Africa. At the end of the day, we had the chance to play 5-a-side football in a season league match. Since Stage 1 ended, I didn’t play at all for an entire month. Bad move of me because the suffer is now very real. The altitude and the pollution killed my lungs and only three sprints from one goal to another were absolutely painful. I have never felt that way on a football pitch. However, after being down 4-1, we changed our play to be more efficient with the ball and less tired. We managed to win the game 9-4 at the end.

The next day, Doc took us to a favela to meet kids from the “Youth Zones” programme. Then, we coached them for about 20 minutes and played with the adults after. My sensations were better than the day before but the pollution was still holding back my breath. Two days later, we went to another favela outside of Johannesburg to coach and play. What an amazing experience. I have never seen kids so well-behaved in my life. In London, even if you speak English like them, they don’t listen. Here, in these favelas, you don’t even have to speak to be listened. I was truly impressed by those kids. Barely a few had shoes on, most of them didn’t have decent clothes on but they actually didn’t care about it. The only thing that mattered was football and only football.

When you experience these situations, you realize how much football means for kids or adults in the world. Especially when a big Premier League club like Arsenal is coaching them. From my side, coaching and playing was the least I could do. I knew that I was lucky to have grown in a more developed country like France, but I cannot imagine how difficult the life of a kid must be hard in those favelas. Seeing them smiling and enjoying my session was more than enough for me.

We also had the chance and the honor to visit the Apartheid Museum. I still cannot believe that those atrocities happened only 20 years ago. The cruelty and the stupidity back then made me sick as long as I was visiting the museum. Nelson Mandela did a tremendous job in South Africa but the step to equality is still big and the tension still palpable.

Unfortunately, my journey in South Africa had come to an end. Time for me to face a bus journey with my fellow Gappers through South Africa, Zimbabwe and finally Mozambique.

#Mozambique