Faith and Football

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0:00:16 > 0:00:19In a couple of weeks, the eyes of the world will be focused here,

0:00:19 > 0:00:22in Brazil, for the 2014 World Cup.

0:00:22 > 0:00:24OK, I'm not really in Brazil.

0:00:24 > 0:00:27Our Songs Of Praise budget didn't quite stretch that far,

0:00:27 > 0:00:30but I am here at Wembley Stadium, and I've got plenty

0:00:30 > 0:00:33of football for you and a group of rather enthusiastic Brazilians.

0:00:37 > 0:00:39Today, what it's like to fulfil a boyhood dream

0:00:39 > 0:00:42and play for your country in the World Cup.

0:00:42 > 0:00:45The fans who are off to Brazil to do more than just watch

0:00:45 > 0:00:47a few games of footie.

0:00:47 > 0:00:49Plus how England's favourite sport went international,

0:00:49 > 0:00:53a Brazilian Mass, and fantastic hymns from around the UK.

0:00:58 > 0:01:00CHEERING

0:01:06 > 0:01:08So what do Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United

0:01:08 > 0:01:10and Manchester United all have in common?

0:01:10 > 0:01:12Apart from the fact they're all football teams -

0:01:12 > 0:01:14I don't support any of them, I'm an Arsenal man -

0:01:14 > 0:01:19the answer is their supporters have all used our first hymn as a chant.

0:01:19 > 0:01:23Now legend has it that its writer, Julia Ward Howe,

0:01:23 > 0:01:25didn't sit down to write a hymn.

0:01:25 > 0:01:29She simply awoke one morning with these inspiring words in her head

0:01:29 > 0:01:32and rushed to find a pen to put them down on paper.

0:04:23 > 0:04:26Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory is by no means the only hymn

0:04:26 > 0:04:29that's used as a chant by football supporters on the terraces.

0:04:29 > 0:04:31When The Saints Go Marching In

0:04:31 > 0:04:35and He's Got The Whole World In His Hands are often sung.

0:04:35 > 0:04:37Well, in 1997, Chelsea beat Middlesbrough here,

0:04:37 > 0:04:41and the defeated team supporters sang We Shall Overcome,

0:04:41 > 0:04:44a famous protest song from the American Civil Rights Movement,

0:04:44 > 0:04:47which actually started out though as a gospel song.

0:04:47 > 0:04:50And of course, there's Abide With Me.

0:04:50 > 0:04:52It's been heard here at Wembley a few times.

0:04:52 > 0:04:56It's been sung before kick-off at the FA Cup Final ever since 1927,

0:04:56 > 0:04:58when Cardiff beat Arsenal.

0:04:58 > 0:05:00It pains me to tell you that.

0:07:37 > 0:07:41In just over two weeks, the World Cup kicks off in Brazil.

0:07:41 > 0:07:44And one group of people who'll be watching with special interest

0:07:44 > 0:07:46are London's Brazilian community,

0:07:46 > 0:07:50many of whom worship here, at St Anne's Church in Whitechapel.

0:07:50 > 0:07:53I've been in this church

0:07:53 > 0:07:59since 2012 and I lead the Mass for the Brazilian community.

0:07:59 > 0:08:03There are many Brazilians here and most of them are Catholic.

0:08:03 > 0:08:05The Mass is the same.

0:08:05 > 0:08:09The only thing different is Brazilians participate more -

0:08:09 > 0:08:13they sing and they move.

0:08:16 > 0:08:18'The celebration is more lively.'

0:08:18 > 0:08:21THEY SING

0:08:23 > 0:08:26I've been here for six months only.

0:08:26 > 0:08:29In the first weeks I was here, I went to English churches

0:08:29 > 0:08:33and everything, so it was a bit hard because I couldn't speak English

0:08:33 > 0:08:37very well so when I came here, it was much easier to communicate.

0:08:37 > 0:08:39SHE SINGS

0:08:41 > 0:08:43The relationship with God is better

0:08:43 > 0:08:45when you pray in your own language

0:08:45 > 0:08:49and I do love to follow the English Mass as well

0:08:49 > 0:08:53but I prefer to come to the Portuguese one, it's better for me.

0:08:54 > 0:09:00I'm not a football fan, but when the World Cup becomes a craze,

0:09:00 > 0:09:03all the games, I like to know everything.

0:09:03 > 0:09:07I like to read every day about what's going on in the World Cup.

0:09:07 > 0:09:11I didn't pray for Brazil to win the World Cup, but I prayed for

0:09:11 > 0:09:16change in Brazil. I prayed for the change in justice for the poor.

0:09:16 > 0:09:20HE PRAYS

0:09:22 > 0:09:26While some of London's Brazilian community are praying in church,

0:09:26 > 0:09:30others are praying in the dressing room.

0:09:30 > 0:09:31Father, thank you...

0:09:31 > 0:09:34Fire United Christian football team is

0:09:34 > 0:09:37part of the Middlesex County Football League.

0:09:37 > 0:09:39They focus on more than just scoring goals.

0:09:42 > 0:09:44We always pray, we always read the Bible,

0:09:44 > 0:09:46speak to the players.

0:09:46 > 0:09:49We started a team so that we can honour the name of God.

0:09:49 > 0:09:51It's not just about winning,

0:09:51 > 0:09:55but it's also about bringing the players together.

0:09:55 > 0:09:57Most of the team are Christians, but we also have one or two

0:09:57 > 0:10:00players who are Muslims, but they don't have a problem.

0:10:00 > 0:10:02They all come, we all read the Bible together, you know.

0:10:02 > 0:10:06No religion can stop this project.

0:10:06 > 0:10:10As a Muslim, I see no problem playing with a Christian team

0:10:10 > 0:10:15because the aim of all what we are doing is being victorious

0:10:15 > 0:10:17and play football, have fun together, you know,

0:10:17 > 0:10:20share the same thing which is football.

0:10:20 > 0:10:25When we are in a circle, they are praying the Lord's Prayer

0:10:25 > 0:10:30while I'm praying in my own way of praying so I think it is acceptable.

0:10:30 > 0:10:32Amen.

0:10:32 > 0:10:33Most of the players are Brazilians.

0:10:33 > 0:10:35Most of the time, we're here speaking in Portuguese,

0:10:35 > 0:10:37praying in Portuguese.

0:10:37 > 0:10:40I try to translate most of the time because we have some players

0:10:40 > 0:10:44who are from Columbia that may not understand Portuguese,

0:10:44 > 0:10:45but they speak English.

0:10:45 > 0:10:48We try to keep everything right, we try not to swear

0:10:48 > 0:10:51and things like this in the matches because it's very hard sometimes.

0:10:51 > 0:10:56We love football. Since a little kid, I started playing football.

0:10:56 > 0:10:59We play football on the roads, on the streets, we play football...

0:10:59 > 0:11:03There is football pitches everywhere, parks,

0:11:03 > 0:11:06it's like it's in our blood.

0:11:06 > 0:11:10If it gets to the World Cup Final, England versus Brazil, I would

0:11:10 > 0:11:12support Brazil, but I think it would be a tough match.

0:12:59 > 0:13:02Footballer Marvin Andrews has played for Glasgow Rangers,

0:13:02 > 0:13:04Queen of the South and Hamilton,

0:13:04 > 0:13:07but he grew up a long way from Scotland,

0:13:07 > 0:13:09on the tropical island of Trinidad,

0:13:09 > 0:13:13where he dreamt of one day representing his country in the World Cup.

0:13:13 > 0:13:17When I was younger, watching Italian football on telly,

0:13:17 > 0:13:21looking at the crowds, the big crowds cheering the players on.

0:13:21 > 0:13:24So, I always dreamed one day that I would love to play in a stadium

0:13:24 > 0:13:29full of people shouting your name and cheering for you and stuff like that.

0:13:29 > 0:13:31So, what's it like when you walk out into a stadium like this?

0:13:31 > 0:13:34You've played in some massive stadiums in your career.

0:13:34 > 0:13:37- It gives me goosebumps at the back of my neck.- Really?- Yeah.

0:13:37 > 0:13:41What would you say is the greatest moment of your footballing career?

0:13:41 > 0:13:45Oh, my greatest moment for me would be definitely helping Trinidad

0:13:45 > 0:13:48and Tobago qualify for the first ever World Cup.

0:13:48 > 0:13:52It was in 1989, Trinidad and Tobago

0:13:52 > 0:13:55missed out just by one point against America at home.

0:13:55 > 0:13:56Yeah, I remember.

0:13:56 > 0:14:00Then I said to myself that I want to be part of the team that will

0:14:00 > 0:14:03help my country qualify for their first ever World Cup. 16 years

0:14:03 > 0:14:09- later, it came to pass in 2006 in Germany.- How did you feel?- Amazing.

0:14:09 > 0:14:12- Amazing feeling. I was actually crying.- Really?!

0:14:12 > 0:14:14And I don't really cry.

0:14:14 > 0:14:17I had a load of friends who always told me, "Marvin,

0:14:17 > 0:14:20"Trinidad and Tobago never qualify for the World Cup, never qualify."

0:14:20 > 0:14:23I tell them, "Guys, I'm not going to stick for that.

0:14:23 > 0:14:27"I'm going to keep praying, keep training hard and one day,

0:14:27 > 0:14:30- "that dream will come to pass." - So, which came first for you?

0:14:30 > 0:14:34- Was it the faith or football? - I always had a faith.

0:14:34 > 0:14:38My grandmother taught me from a very young age to always believe in God.

0:14:38 > 0:14:40She taught me to pray first thing in the morning

0:14:40 > 0:14:42and last thing at night before I go to bed.

0:14:42 > 0:14:45Would you say God has been a support for you throughout your career?

0:14:45 > 0:14:47I wouldn't say actually a support.

0:14:47 > 0:14:49I think he's been the leader of my life

0:14:49 > 0:14:52if you want to put it that way, because I believe that he has

0:14:52 > 0:14:57orchestrated in me coming to Britain, coming to Scotland.

0:14:57 > 0:14:58He's helped you through it all.

0:14:58 > 0:15:02He has helped me through all my injuries that I've faced.

0:15:02 > 0:15:07Obviously I think the most noted one is the ACL, anterior cruciate ligament,

0:15:07 > 0:15:11where I damaged my left knee against Dundee playing for Rangers.

0:15:11 > 0:15:14It was a career-threatening injury.

0:15:14 > 0:15:16I came down to two specialists down in England here.

0:15:16 > 0:15:20They look at my knee and both of them give the same diagnosis that

0:15:20 > 0:15:21I have to go under the knife.

0:15:21 > 0:15:23I need to take a surgery.

0:15:23 > 0:15:25Then I went home and I prayed.

0:15:25 > 0:15:28I said, "Lord, what do you want me to do here?

0:15:28 > 0:15:31"Do you want me to pray or do you want me to go under the knife?"

0:15:31 > 0:15:36God said to me, "Marv, believe me." For a professional footballer playing

0:15:36 > 0:15:38for Glasgow Rangers coming out

0:15:38 > 0:15:43and saying, "God will heal my knee," is very strange for many people.

0:15:43 > 0:15:47Alex McLeish, the manager at that time, told me that, "Marv, yes,

0:15:47 > 0:15:52"I respect your belief, but if God will really heal you,

0:15:52 > 0:15:55"I want to see it outside on the pitch."

0:15:55 > 0:15:58We were five points behind Celtic, four games to go

0:15:58 > 0:16:02before the end of the season, fans are thinking the League is over.

0:16:02 > 0:16:05I came up and said in an interview, "The League is not over,

0:16:05 > 0:16:09"keep believing and we can still win the League."

0:16:09 > 0:16:13Alex McLeish has a dilemma, to play Marv or not to play him

0:16:13 > 0:16:17because technical staff was saying, "Marv is going to collapse," but for

0:16:17 > 0:16:22some reason, God touched his heart and he put me in the starting 11.

0:16:24 > 0:16:27Last game of the season, we're two points behind Celtic.

0:16:28 > 0:16:34Miraculously, my knee held up, Celtic lost the game, we won our game

0:16:34 > 0:16:36and we won the Championship.

0:16:37 > 0:16:38So it was a great day.

0:19:15 > 0:19:18Now then, the game of football was developed HERE in the UK

0:19:18 > 0:19:20in the 19th century.

0:19:20 > 0:19:21But it wasn't long before it spread abroad,

0:19:21 > 0:19:24and one of the first teams to play an international,

0:19:24 > 0:19:27and even reach Brazil, was based here, in West London.

0:19:27 > 0:19:30Now, the club where that team was based still exists.

0:19:30 > 0:19:33There's still plenty of sport being played here,

0:19:33 > 0:19:35only they don't play with a ball like this.

0:19:35 > 0:19:38Oh, no. They play with a ball like this.

0:19:42 > 0:19:46Many clergymen in the Victorian era had gone to public school

0:19:46 > 0:19:49and at school, they'd been taught to be Christian gentlemen.

0:19:49 > 0:19:53Now, that involved primarily the acquisition of moral values

0:19:53 > 0:19:56such as standing for truth, honesty,

0:19:56 > 0:20:00righteousness in the face of all sorts of opposition.

0:20:00 > 0:20:02Now, it was believed that these

0:20:02 > 0:20:06qualities of character could be instilled via sport.

0:20:08 > 0:20:11Now, when many of these young men became clergymen,

0:20:11 > 0:20:14they felt that football was a marvellous way of instilling

0:20:14 > 0:20:16Christian values into the young men

0:20:16 > 0:20:19in the parishes in which they were working.

0:20:21 > 0:20:23And they formed football clubs.

0:20:24 > 0:20:27A quarter of all football clubs formed in England

0:20:27 > 0:20:31in the latter part of the Victorian era were started by churches,

0:20:31 > 0:20:34and some of these became very famous.

0:20:34 > 0:20:3812 clubs that have played in the Premier League are of church origin.

0:20:38 > 0:20:42So, we have for example, Manchester City, Everton, Southampton

0:20:42 > 0:20:45and Tottenham Hotspur.

0:20:47 > 0:20:50There were once as many forms of football as there are villages

0:20:50 > 0:20:54in England and each village played according to its own rule.

0:20:58 > 0:21:01In 1863, representatives from several different football

0:21:01 > 0:21:05clubs met in London and one set of rules was agreed upon.

0:21:05 > 0:21:08That was the beginning of association football.

0:21:09 > 0:21:13Remarkably, international football started only ten years after

0:21:13 > 0:21:16the fledgling game was born.

0:21:16 > 0:21:20It was a match between Scotland and England in Partick near Glasgow

0:21:20 > 0:21:22and it was a nil-nil draw.

0:21:22 > 0:21:24But over the next few matches,

0:21:24 > 0:21:26Scotland proved to be the stronger side,

0:21:26 > 0:21:30so the best players from various English clubs gathered together,

0:21:30 > 0:21:34forming a new team to challenge the Scottish supremacy -

0:21:34 > 0:21:35the Corinthians.

0:21:39 > 0:21:44Initially, the Corinthians played their matches away, but from 1895

0:21:44 > 0:21:49until 1921, they were based here at the Queen's Tennis Club.

0:21:52 > 0:21:54One of the Corinthians, Charles Miller,

0:21:54 > 0:21:57was born in Brazil where his father was an engineer.

0:22:00 > 0:22:05When he went back to Brazil in 1894, he famously took

0:22:05 > 0:22:11in his suitcase two footballs, the FA rulebook and some football boots.

0:22:11 > 0:22:15He introduced football to the Sao Paulo Athletic Club

0:22:15 > 0:22:18and then he formed the first football league in Brazil.

0:22:20 > 0:22:26In 1910, he invited the Corinthians over to Brazil on a tour

0:22:26 > 0:22:29and the Brazilians were so impressed by the sportsmanship,

0:22:29 > 0:22:33the fair play, the Christian values and the quality of football that

0:22:33 > 0:22:38these Corinthians were playing that they named a club in their honour -

0:22:38 > 0:22:39Corinthians.

0:22:39 > 0:22:43And that club is one of the most famous in Brazil today, and actually

0:22:43 > 0:22:47won the World Club Championship against Chelsea in 2012.

0:25:05 > 0:25:09For many fans, it's about the game and winning is everything, but

0:25:09 > 0:25:13one man wants to do more than just chant for his team on the terraces.

0:25:14 > 0:25:17We started an organisation seven years ago that's all about

0:25:17 > 0:25:20mobilising football fans to community action,

0:25:20 > 0:25:23whether it's locally or World Cup trips or that kind of thing.

0:25:23 > 0:25:25To do what? How do they get involved?

0:25:25 > 0:25:30We're good at two things, really. We're good at football schools...

0:25:30 > 0:25:32and we're good at building stuff.

0:25:32 > 0:25:34So, we get fans to come on World Cup Legacy tours

0:25:34 > 0:25:37and they either build stuff or they kick a ball with kids.

0:25:37 > 0:25:39It's that simple, basically.

0:25:39 > 0:25:41Our first big project was South Africa, for the World Cup

0:25:41 > 0:25:44out there, which was a wonderful place to start.

0:25:44 > 0:25:47So, we were in a little valley called the Valley of a Thousand Hills,

0:25:47 > 0:25:50and we went three or four times and ended up building an orphanage

0:25:50 > 0:25:54and a school and some changing rooms and just getting involved

0:25:54 > 0:25:58during the World Cup. Took 150 guys out there and just went for it.

0:25:58 > 0:26:01Eight days hard work, four days off when there's a match in the city.

0:26:01 > 0:26:03So, the idea is that they go and watch the football

0:26:03 > 0:26:06- and then go and build houses. - It's a proper World Cup tour.

0:26:06 > 0:26:08We work hard on the days between matches in the city,

0:26:08 > 0:26:12and we have a proper day off with all the passing fans coming through.

0:26:12 > 0:26:15Pub on the night watching the games on the telly. It's fantastic.

0:26:15 > 0:26:17So, we've got the World Cup in Brazil, England

0:26:17 > 0:26:20are going which is more than Wales are, but I'm not bitter.

0:26:20 > 0:26:22- Don't hold your breath. - No, no, no, not this time.

0:26:22 > 0:26:25And what sort of work will you be doing there though?

0:26:25 > 0:26:27We've been heading out there for about three years,

0:26:27 > 0:26:29trying to find the right place to work.

0:26:29 > 0:26:31We've established a base in the host cities

0:26:31 > 0:26:33so we're building a football centre

0:26:33 > 0:26:37and refurbishing some changing rooms and doing about 12 soccer schools.

0:26:37 > 0:26:42Mainly trying to do an anti-drug education message loosely through the football work.

0:26:44 > 0:26:46One of the fans going out to Brazil is

0:26:46 > 0:26:50the chaplain of Southampton Football Club, Andy Bowerman.

0:26:50 > 0:26:53He and his friends are raising money for the Lionsraw project with

0:26:53 > 0:26:55a sponsored cycle ride,

0:26:55 > 0:26:59taking in all of England's Premier League stadiums.

0:26:59 > 0:27:03They're hoping their efforts will raise £20,000.

0:27:03 > 0:27:06So I suppose you've got to get used to spending quite a long

0:27:06 > 0:27:10- time on these bikes.- Yeah, 1,000 miles in 11 days.- Really?

0:27:10 > 0:27:13- 21 different stadiums.- Right.

0:27:13 > 0:27:15And none of us are very experienced at cycling, so we've been

0:27:15 > 0:27:18doing a lot of training over the last eight or nine months.

0:27:18 > 0:27:20It's a challenge but I think we're all looking forward to it.

0:27:20 > 0:27:22And you end up in Southampton,

0:27:22 > 0:27:23probably on a day very much like today.

0:27:23 > 0:27:26- Soaking wet.- Yeah.- Oh, horrendous.

0:27:28 > 0:27:30So, what are you raising money for?

0:27:30 > 0:27:33- Money for a building project in Curitiba in Brazil.- Right.

0:27:33 > 0:27:34It's to build an education centre

0:27:34 > 0:27:36and a sports facility for children,

0:27:36 > 0:27:38and then a number of us are involved in building

0:27:38 > 0:27:41the project during the World Cup, so it should be an amazing experience.

0:27:41 > 0:27:43And how? I'm really jealous.

0:27:45 > 0:27:47Over 300 football fans will be joining Andy

0:27:47 > 0:27:51and his fellow cyclists in going to Brazil with Lionsraw.

0:27:53 > 0:27:55It's open for anyone.

0:27:55 > 0:27:58This is not a Christian organisation, not a Christian project.

0:27:58 > 0:28:01Most of the people involved now wouldn't consider themselves

0:28:01 > 0:28:04Christians but we hope that Christian

0:28:04 > 0:28:07values are kind of oozing out of the organisation, because it's about

0:28:07 > 0:28:11being kind to people and trying to make a difference for people.

0:29:55 > 0:30:00Lord, help us to play with fairness.

0:30:00 > 0:30:03To win with humility,

0:30:03 > 0:30:04to lose with grace.

0:30:06 > 0:30:08To accept life's challenges

0:30:08 > 0:30:10and travel on life's journeys

0:30:10 > 0:30:12with hope in our hearts.

0:30:12 > 0:30:14Amen.

0:30:18 > 0:30:22Our final hymn today is a favourite on the football terraces.

0:30:22 > 0:30:24It's sung with various different lyrics.

0:30:24 > 0:30:27"You're not singing any more, we can see you sneaking out"

0:30:27 > 0:30:29and "I will never be a blue."

0:30:29 > 0:30:30But I'm a good Welshman,

0:30:30 > 0:30:34so we're going to stick with the uplifting words written by a great,

0:30:34 > 0:30:38if not the greatest, Welsh hymn writer. William Williams Pantycelyn.

0:33:11 > 0:33:15Next week, Pam introduces hymns from congregations with special

0:33:15 > 0:33:18reasons to remember the 70th anniversary of D-day.

0:33:18 > 0:33:21Visiting Hampshire's naval and garrison towns,

0:33:21 > 0:33:24she meets a veteran who fought on the beaches,

0:33:24 > 0:33:26hears how an army chaplain was one of the heroes of D-day

0:33:26 > 0:33:31and discovers how an epic piece of art is a memorial to the action

0:33:31 > 0:33:35which did so much to bring about the end of World War II in Europe.