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| Unknown Players vs. Panjab (1:1, 6:5 pen.) | CONIFA WFC | 2016 in Abkhazia |
Where do I start with this one? This football shirt, in a way, is one of my most valued possessions. Not because it is the most outstanding shirt in my collection, but because it reminds me of one of the best days in my life.
As most of my readers will know, I was one of the founders of CONIFA in 2013 and its general secretary until 2020, when I resigned and left the organisation. Just a year after founding CONIFA, we already organised our first World Football Cup (FIFA forbid us to call it World Cup) in Östersund, Sweden. It was an incredible tournament, despite being organised on a shoestring budget and with a terribly short planning period. In that planning period, I was given a particularly tricky task: Finding enough teams to play at the World Football Cup in a few months after founding the organisation with just 3 members to start with. The aim was to have 12 teams playing in Östersund.
I literally had no idea where to even start. So I looked at the teams that played in similar tournaments before and tried to find similar regions or states. While looking into Northern Cyprus, I realised that there are more so-called de facto states - a fact I was not aware of at the time. One of them was Abkhazia, which just had a first international football game against Nagorno Karabakh, another de facto states. It took a me a while to find any contact in Abkhazia, but I finally found the guy who is running the oldest club in the country, Dinamo Sukhum. I google translated a letter explaining CONIFA and hoped to get a reply. Indeed, just hours later, the friendly stranger replied to me. We wrote a few mails back and forth and he told me that they were in the process of founding an organisation for national teams outside of FIFA, but would much prefer to join CONIFA and play in our World Football Cup in Sweden. They just had doubts that we are legit and asked me to visit them. I have never been outside the EU before (apart from a week in Turkey), but found myself on a flight to Armenia to visit Nagorno Karabakh and later Abkhazia just weeks later. It was crazy, in a good way. I apparently convinced them, as they came to Sweden to play in our World Football Cup.
Immediately after leaving the Caucasus again, I wrote to the CONIFA Executive Committee that "we must go to places like Abkhazia or Nagorno Karabakh, if we are serious. They are crazy for football, crazy for CONIFA and the people there are so much looking for an international platform like this. It would mean the world to them!". I was able to convince CONIFA and two years later, we brought 12 teams t Abkhazia for a second World Football Cup. The tournament was insane and exceeded all expectations I could have. Ten thousands of spectators have seen the matches. Fans were asking players from Korea or Somaliland for autographs on the street. The whole country felt like a massive Olympic village for a week.
Even better, for the atmosphere in the country at least, Abkhazia made it all the way to the final. Thousands of fans flocked to the stadium, many not able to squeeze in anymore. It was absolutely mental and an indescribable atmosphere. I have never experienced something like that before - or after. But then, the stadium quickly fell silent, when Panjab scored the opener. Abkhazia was unable to counter that for most of the game. It was a tense and mostly sad atmosphere. But then, hell broke loose when Abkhazia finally scored an equalizer in the '88 minute. The whole crowd freaked out and almost stormed the pitch, although the match was not finished yet (and Abkhazia just drew). The game ended 1:1 and then immediately went to penalties. Again, it did not look good for Abkhazia, as Panjab scored its first three penalties, while Abkhazia missed twice. The guests just need to net one more to lift the trophy. But they didn't. The Abkhazian keeper saved one. And another one. While all Abkhazians scored. The penalty shootout went into overtime and eventually ended with Abkhazia winning the trophy.
That moment is one I will never forget. Thousands stormed the pitch, hugging each others, some up in tears. Flags were everywhere. Abkhazian players were thrown in the air. The Panjab players and their coach joined the celebrations after taken a few minutes, grateful to an incredible host and accepting the fair defeat. I just walked around the pitch, crying myself, taking in that moment. A moment I helped creating. A moment that felt big, life-changing almost, on that day. I later had to give a speech, which I aborted after two sentences to not disturb the celebrations any longer. The president of Abkhazia then declared the next day a holiday and the party went on for many hours, before I had to leave straight from the party to the airport. Taken with me nothing but memories.
Only years later, I got hold of this shirt, which was worn in that final match. It is signed by the entire Abkhazia squad and now hangs on my wall in a frame - together with a gold medal of that final. It was given to me by the Abkhazia Football Federation and I cannot thank them enough: For the shirt, for the gesture, but most of all for one of the best moments of my life and great memories.
