Page - 40 - in Hanadi & Christian - English

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Episode 7: Who has the ritht to play? The girls do A few weeks have gone by, it’s raining cats and dogs and we can’t train. All fifteen of us are waiting under a porch together to see if the rain stops. Peru and Juan Carlos have been talking about the prob- lems they foresee in the eleven-a-side team, and now they are shar- ing their thoughts with us. “If the girls play, we are going to lose for sure, so I would have them as substitutes at all times...” says Kevin. “Well, the same goes for the Spaniards. If they play, we will also lose. So as for the rest of you, don’t you dare miss a game” says Juan Carlos. “I think the best way to decide who will be playing and who will be a substitute is to see who the best players are, regardless of birthplace or gender.” says Silvia as she tries to hide her anger at what has been said about the girls. Silvia loves football and she wants to play. “I’m sure that if we include girls and boys, Ecuadorians, Span- iards, Ukrainians and Moroccans, our team will be stronger.” says Bochdan. He seems really excited at the prospect of having such a varied team. “Are you mad? It’s impossible to agree on anything with people who are so different!” says Juan Carlos. “It doesn’t have to be that way.” Says Elena, one of the girls who has signed up for the league. “We all have a right to play and try our best. The rules for the league say that anybody who lives in the neighborhood can play on the team. The rules don’t say anything about gender or about belonging to a specific group. They just say you have to live here. That is the only limit: if you live in the neigh- borhood, you have the right to play.” “Oh, come on! What does that mean? The right to play? Are you comparing the right to play with the right to life or the right to go to school? I can’t picture myself going to court to defend my right to play football. What is important is that we play to win, and we will never win if you girls play.” Juan Carlos shouts.