From death row to defense: football behind bars

World Cup fever – in prison

Johannesburg, South Africa (CNN) — The World Cup often sees football played in some of the most exotic locations on the planet, but few are as notorious as Zonderwater Prison in Pretoria, South Africa.

It was within the confines of this prison, in an attempt to prove that the “beautiful game” can touch even those living behind bars, that a team of inmates took on traveling England fans to mark their country as hosts of the 2010 tournament.

The title of “Kopano Challenge Champions” was on the line for the team of convicted criminals led by Thobi E. Qekisi, a former death row inmate convicted of murder and robbery in 1985.

Not that Qekisi showed any signs of nervousness before kick-off, urging his team to play offensively – which he ordered to form in a 4-4-2.

Gallery: World Cup prison match

“Today we are going to kill these people,” the 48-year-old told CNN before the match, in a team talk that may have worried some of the English opposition.

“We will play 4-4-2, because that is our favorite pattern. Our midfield is strong and my attackers are very precise, so I think we will win.

“We have prepared so much for this match because we know that it is a once in a lifetime situation. That is why we have prepared so thoroughly,” Qekisi added.

The match is just the latest event hosted by a prison that aims to use sports to rehabilitate inmates, many of whom are about to be released and reenter society.

“Building bridges the Diski way” – Diski being the local name for football – is a project that has been helping men like Qekisi for more than two years, according to Gauteng Correctional Services spokesperson Simphiwe Kondleka.

Qekisi was due to be hanged for his crimes before Nelson Mandela’s new government abolished the death penalty in 1995. He applied for parole for the life sentence he is serving at Zonderwater, but although his freedom has been restricted for the time being, his passion for football endures.

“I’m so happy that South Africa are the hosts, I don’t know what else to say about the World Cup. It’s fantastic that we’re all watching the games in prison. I’ve been waiting for this for so long and now it’s here!”

Nkosikhona Mteshana, 28, a prison inmate and youth player, behind bars since 2003, was also confident about the senior team’s chances against the English.

“We’re going to attack them, attack them and attack them until we score goals,” he said before both teams lined up to sing their respective national anthems.

“Our midfield is very strong, and that’s where the game will be won or lost.”

David Hancock, the supporters’ team captain, said the match was a way for England fans to help shed their “hooligan” image.

Green mistake costs England victory against USA

“I’ve been playing for a few years in various places, from playing Arabs in the West Bank to playing here in a prison in South Africa. It helps (to say that) we’re actually not a bunch of hooligans; we’re actually here to give something back to the community.

“Although I’m a little reluctant to give publicity to people whose crimes are quite serious. However, you could say that everyone deserves a second chance and these guys are close to their release, so it’s a good reward for them,” he added before taking his place in defense on the dusty pitch.

A crowd of detained spectators – including Daniel, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for robbery, and a friend who was convicted of assault – watched and applauded, dressed in orange fatigues, as their team secured a 2-2 draw against their foreign opponents.

The result meant the title would remain on the prison side. As, no doubt, do the memories of the day they faced England in the year South Africa hosted the World Cup.