Gothia Cup

Three teams won the Fair Play Trophy

Fylkir 1 B15, Skillingaryds IS B16 and Mexico United G16 are the winning teams.

The Fair Play Trophy is handed out to teams that have excelled at fair play during the tournament. Three teams were awarded with a trophy this year.
- Having people notice that we’re here simply because we love the game feels great, says Carola Ruiz, Mexico United G16 player.

Throughout the tournament, a central part of Gothia Cup has been to Celebrate the Game. This campaign pushes on the fact that respect is key both on and off the football field. Treating each other with respect, enjoying the games and understanding that we’re all human is central to creating a good environment for everyone.
- Even when the games get difficult and stressful we all try to support each other within the team. I think that’s reflected in the way we treat our rivals as well, says Ruiz.

Celebrating the game and showing respect towards each other can be done in different ways. According to Ruiz, a good way of doing this is connecting with the rival team both before and after the match.
- At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what the score is. We came here because we love the game. What we do is we take pictures with the other team, get to know the girls and play soccer together as a fun experience.

A quite central part of Gothia Cup is the meetings between different teams and cultures. These meetings can, of course, happen anywhere outside of Heden as well.
- I’ve been able to make friends from other teams. It’s cool staying at the school because you meet a lot of different teams. Just by taking the tram are you able to interact with people from places you’ve never been to before, says Ruiz.

Now that they’ve won the Fair Play Trophy, Mexico United are going to go back even more content than before.
- It was honestly one of the highlights of our trip. We came here simply to play soccer. To have people understand that feels incredible.