Even though Robben Island prisoners broke the laws of apartheid, they never broke the rules of Fifa, former islander Tokyo Sexwale said.He was speaking to local and international media on the island shortly after addressing a meeting of the Fifa executive held there.
Sexwale, now minister of human settlements, served as general secretary of the prisoners' Makana Footballers Association on the Island.
They even played football with fruit
Figures such as President Jacob Zuma and Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke acted as referees.
Sexwale said the prisoners had defied every rule of apartheid and continued to do so on the island. But they never defied the rules of soccer, which were "sacrosanct".
"Even if Maradona does something strange, even if (Thierry) Henry does something with his hand, here we defy apartheid, but you don't defy Fifa rules."
Sexwale said the prisoners were originally not allowed to take part in any form of sport but "started to fight back".
They began by bundling rags together to make a football in their cells, or using anything else that could be turned into a spherical object. They even played football with fruit.
"Men had to stand together just for rights to have a football," he said. "Ja, we were freedom fighters, yes we were soldiers, yes we were liberators of our people, but we never forgot to unite ourselves and our people behind the beautiful game of football."
Sexwale is a member of the 2010 Local Organising Committee and of Fifa's Fair Play Committee. He was sentenced to 18 years in jail, but served 15 years, 13 of them on the Island.
- Cape Times
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