For a long time, people with African roots in Bremen have been playing soccer privately at weekends as the warmer months approach. In 2003, the idea was taken up that African teams could play against each other to not only talk about integration, but to live it and find a common language.
It all began with the 1st African Football Cup with five teams from African countries. In the following years, the Football Cup was organized by the Pan-African Cultural Association with an increasing effort over the years.
The tournament has enjoyed increasing popularity for years, both among the participating African soccer teams and especially among the football-loving spectators from Bremen, the surrounding area and the whole of Germany.
In the current round of the tournament, 16 teams played against each other in four groups. Defending champion Gambia clearly won Group A and reached the semi-finals with a clear 3:0 victory over Cameroon in the quarterfinals. In an exciting match that remained open until the very end, the team only managed to score a 4:3 winning goal against Ghana shortly before the end. Unfortunately, Togo did not make it past the group stage.
Angola, who reached the quarterfinals as winners of Group B, won 4:2 against Sierra Leone, and in the semi-finals, they pulled off a surprise 3:1 victory against the tournament favourites Liberia.
Bremen's mayor and President of the Senate, Andreas Bovenschulte, was among those present at the exciting final and took over the award ceremony. Outsider Angola had surprisingly prevailed 4:3 against last year's winners Gambia. The match for 3rd place also ended 4:3, with Liberia beating Ghana. The team from Algeria received the Fair Play Award.
A new edition of the tournament is planned for next year, with the event team hoping to be supported again as this time. In addition to SV Werder Bremen and the AOK health insurance company, this included the Integration by Sport association, the Beirat Mitte advisory board, the state sports association, main sponsor Codys, the Senator for Social Affairs, Youth and Integration, the Bremen Football Association and the Bremen AIDS-Help-Organization.
