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 If the injection of football provided by the World Cup hasn't sated your appetite for the beautiful game, there are plenty of events inspired by the competition going on around the city. As soon as the tournament begins it will, no doubt, awaken in many a football fanaticism - especially if the national team reach the latter stages. It's like the Wimbledon effect, but magnified. The World Cup only comes round once every four years - embrace it!
 Whether you're cheering on your team in the Inner City World Cup, competing in a table football tournament, catching a football movie or a classic match at the Curzon Soho, or joining the Samba boys in premature celebration, London has enough to satisfy even the most chronically obsessed football fanatics. Get ready for kick off.  Inner City World Cup 3rd & 4th June 2006 Well, like most football fans you probably won't have been able to get your grass-stained mitts on any tickets for the real deal in Germany. This international amateur tournament brings together all the minority communities in London, and us natives too! This is an opportunity to see some friendly rivalry and some, actually quite excellent, football skills close up. Without the pressure of a nation weighing heavily on their shoulders these players love to show off their skills. The competition takes place all weekend with the group stages on Saturday and the knock-out tournament on Sunday. All these matches in quick succession mean fitness will pay a key role. The assortment of nations taking part encompasses everywhere from Bangladesh to Brazil, lending the event a colourful sense of occasion. You can throw the international form book out of the window for this competition; last year's final was an all-African affair, with Ghana edging out Gambia two goals to one. England is set to take on China, India and Mauritius in the group stage. Venue: Regent's Park, NW1 Phone: 020 8989 2219 Date: 3rd & 4th June 2006 Time: 10:00 - 19:00 Price: Free Nearest Station: Regent's Park Tube Travel and Hotel Information Near to Regent's Park   Back in Brasil13th June 2006 Football and music have always been inextricably linked in Brazil. Ronaldinho may be a gap-toothed klutz off the pitch, but when he's playing his football his body sways and dances to a hidden rhythm that gives sport the grace of ballet. If any one DJ can reproduce those rhythms in a nightclub, it's Gilles Peterson, whose 'In Brasil' album was 2004's slickest slice of Latin beats, with a superb mix of classic hits and new D'n'B tracks. Which all makes Cargo the only place to go for Brazil's crunch game against Croatia. Not only is there a huge screen and, more importantly, a fabulous sound-system that will bring the atmosphere of the match to your ears like nothing else, there's also going to be the launch party for 'In Brasil' sequel 'Back in Brasil'. Gilles will be rinsing out some of his favourite tunes, there's live music from Instituto, the Brazilian jazz/hip-hop collective, and some of London's funkiest people will be seductively shaking to the samba rhythms. Weather permitting, there'll be a barbeque, but if there's not, you can sample superb Latin American street food from Cargo's kitchen. A great place to watch what should be one of the best games of the whole tournament. Venue: Cargo, EC2 Phone: 020 7739 3440 Date: 13th June 2006 Time: 19:00 - 1:00 Price: £8 (Advance) | £10 (On the Door) Nearest Station: Old Street Tube Click Here for Local Travel and Hotel Information  Kicks 'n' Flicks2nd - 8th June 2006 In amiably cheesy P.O.W flick 'Escape to Victory', Sylvester Stallone was drafted in to play the goalie - and to give the film's box office a boost in the States. Convinced that the small amount of football training he'd received had really paid off, he bet Pele $1000 that he could save 10 penalties in a row from the greatest footballer of all time. Pele, unsurprisingly, collected on the first shot. The relationship between football and the film industry has never been an easy one, but, as this first London international football movie festival shows, once you look around outside the mainstream, there have actually been some quality movies made about the beautiful game. 'The Cup' is a particular highlight, a charming little film using amateur actors, about a Tibetan monastery attempting to get hooked up to satellite TV in time for the 1998 World Cup. 'Dias de Futbol' is a 'Full Monty'-esque Spanish comedy about some overweight guys forming a football team. Some wonderful old scenes filmed at Highbury are captured in 'The Arsenal Stadium Mystery', a whodunit from 1938 that includes footage of the last football game played before the war. On top of this all, there's also a program of documentaries, including Mitchell and Kenyon's classic footage of Edwardian football, the national Pro Evolution Soccer finals played out live, and the chance to watch some key matches on the big screen. Venue: Curzon Soho, W1D Phone: 020 7734 2255 Date: 2nd - 8th June 2006 Time: Various Price: Various Nearest Station: Leicester Square Tube Click Here for Local Travel and Hotel Information  World Cup Table Football Competition4th - 5th June 2006 In our humble opinion, table football is one of the finest achievements of mankind. This is a game that tests speed, reactions, intelligence and teamwork to the full, draws in spectators and is, in fact, often far more exciting than the real thing. Certainly, the World Cup would be vastly improved if everyone was obliged to play a 2-5-3 formation. The Lewisham Centre is hosting a competition this summer, with referees from Millwall Community Centre keeping an eye on those spins, and the competitors keeping an eye on the chance top win an HD television. The competition is open to all ages and abilities, so get yourself down and sign up to compete in the World Cup. Venue: The Lewisham Centre, Molesworth Street, SE13 Phone: 020 8852 0094 Date: 4th - 5th June 2006 Time: 11:00 - 16:00 Price: Free Nearest Station: Lewisham DLR Click Here for Local Travel and Hotel Information |
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