Club Deportivo Costa del Sol, as the Arsenal Soccer School based in San Roque, will be playing host to the ‘The Iberian Trophy for Peace’ tournament, to be held over the Easter weekend, Saturday the 22nd and Sunday, 23rd of March.

The tournament, for Under 14s, will include teams from Portugal, Israel, France and Spain, will be hosted at Campo La Union in Guadiaro, San Roque.

The idea for this competition came about as a result of the visit by CD Guadiaro to the Arsenal Soccer Festival in England last summer. At the festival, in which over 70 teams took place from over 15 countries, there were two teams from Israel made up of Jewish and Arab players. This is an initiative by Arsenal to help promote peace amongst the Jewish and Arab villages in Galilee. Players have been picked from both cultures and turned into teams of various ages playing under the title of Galilee United. This has meant that Arab and Jewish boys as well as their parents are supporting the same side and finding many things to unite them, rather than the things that have divided them in the past.

Ken Jones of Club Deportivo Costa del Sol, who attended the festival with CD Guadiaro, thought that the history of the Iberian Peninsula with its unique Arab, Jewish and Christian cultures, would be an ideal place to host a tournament that supported this ideal for peace.

It was obvious that any such tournament would have to involve teams from all three cultures. It was therefore decided to invite Pro Soccer, the Arsenal Soccer School in Lisbon, to support this venture by helping to represent the Iberian Peninsula, as well as inviting a French and Israeli team to take part.
There will therefore be four participating teams each representing a country and these are:
CD Costa del Sol, San Roque representing Spain, SoccerPro Academy, Lisbon representing Portugal; Galilee United, Misgav Area representing Israel, and IST Toulouse representing France.

It is, however, important to mention that the tournament could never have been planned if it were not for the financial and logistical support of San Roque Town Council and Marrache & Co, a firm of international lawyers with offices in Spain, Lisbon, London and Gibraltar.

If it had not been for the fact that both these entities, through their representatives, Solomon Marrache, Finance Director of Marraches and Juan Jose Guillen, Sports Councillor for San Roque Town Council. Mention should also be made of the support of Alonso Mata of Viajes Transandalucia, who is providing the transport requirements for the teams.

Programme

Friday, 21st March at 8.30 pm
Welcome meeting for all players, organisers and press at Charlie’s Pizzas, Paseo Maritimo, Sabinillas, during which the fixtures will be drawn.

Saturday, 22nd March
10.15 am Gates open at Campo La Union football ground in Guadiaro, San Roque.
10.45 am Official inauguration by the Mayor of San Roque.
11.00 am First game kicks off.
1.30 pm Second game kicks off.

Sunday, 23rd March
11.00 am Match for 3rd and 4th place kicks off.
1.30 pm Final

After the final there will be an awards ceremony with medals for all participants as well as the presentation of the Iberian Peace Trophy to the winning team.
There will also be an award for the Player of the Tournament who will be chosen by former West Bromwich Albion and England footballer, Derek Statham, and the Head of  Arsenal in the Community, Alan Sefton, who is flying over for the tournament.

4.00 pm Tournament closes.

All spectators are most welcome, and there will be refreshments available at the ground during the tournament.