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Yokohama Hayato High School 2
THE WORLD CUP FINAL:
Brazil vs. Germany
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On June 30 the month-long drama of the 2002 FIFA World Cup
tournament finally reached its climax with the historic match between
Brazil and Germany. The eyes of the whole world were on International
Stadium Yokohama that day, following every single move made by the players,
as Brazil broke down the German defensive fortress to win the World Cup
for the fifth time. On the same field that day were the boys from Yokohama
Hayato High School - the ball-kids 'pros' - who were seen dashing along
the touch-line in pursuit of a stray ball or promptly passing the ball
to a player, doing their part to keep things running smoothly so that
both players and spectators could concentrate on the game. And as expected,
it was a tough job.
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Brazilian forward Ronaldo hits a shot in the World
Cup final. (Jiji) |
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Not everything went perfectly, said Shingo
Ishikawa, the demanding coach of the Hayato soccer
team. For a brief moment there were two balls on the field,
as one of the boys handed the ball to a player after establishing
eye contact, only to find that another player had picked up
another ball elsewhere. Meanwhile, a German player, in his
eagerness to help his teammates, threw in a ball that had
been stored by the substitutes' bench, so an unidentified
ball suddenly appeared out of nowhere and caught everyone
by surprise.
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But in soccer, the unexpected is always likely to happen,
and the Hayato boys did their best to respond quickly. Let's hear from
the boys and find out how they enjoyed the special day:
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Takanori
Yamada, midfielder: "I would rate our performance
at 85 points [out of 100]. I think it went well because we
gave it our best try. It was great to be there to see the
players hold up the World Cup."
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Kazuya
Amaha, midfielder: "It was like being in a dream
world. Time passed so quickly. Everything about that day was
like a mirage."
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Satoshi
Tokiwa, midfielder: "It was fantastic
to be able to watch at close range the final match to decide
the world's number-one team. When Cafu [captain of the Brazilian
team] climbed on top of the platform and held up the trophy,
I got so excited I almost cried! I learned a lot from the
match and would like to try some new things out during practice."
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And what about Yuta
Toshima, defender: "I thought I'd be nervous on
the day of the final, but I wasn't nervous at all, just excited.
Getting a close look at some of the world's best players was
like a dream, and it was really great passing the ball to
them."
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Perhaps the most nervous guy on the Hayato team that day
was Coach Ishikawa: "I was standing on the field on the back-stand
side, watching everyone carefully. 'We've got to pull this off successfully'
- that was all I could think about. By the end of the first half, my shirt
was soaked in sweat! I was somewhat calmer in the second half, but still
couldn't relax because you never know what could happen. It went well,
though. I think the boys were very nervous and very tired by the end of
the day." Maybe not as much as you, coach!
Having successfully completed their mission, the Hayato boys must have
come away from International Stadium Yokohama sharing the feelings expressed
by Yuta Toshima: "Taking part in the final as ball kids has made
me love soccer even more." Thank you, Hayato boys, for a letting
us enjoy a magnificent match!
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