Lively atmosphere at ReyCup in Laugardalur
About 2,300 competitors from 132 soccer teams are participating in ReyCup 2023, which opened with fanfare in Laugardalur last evening. Soap bubbles floated and MC Gauti kept the excitement going. Today and over the weekend, Laugardalur will be bustling with children in competition uniforms of all colors and types along with supporters.
Teams come from all over the country and 12 come from abroad - from England, the United States, Denmark, Germany and Malawi. There's great excitement for the tournament and the weather forecast is favorable. "There's incredibly good energy in the valley and great excitement among everyone. The opening ceremony went smoothly. We encourage teams to group together with their team banners and walk into the area as a group and then settle in," says Gunnhildur Ásmundsdóttir, ReyCup executive director. MC Gauti then kept the excitement going at the end of the opening ceremony in his own special way.
After the opening ceremony, hundreds of Þróttur supporters gathered to show support for Isaac Kwateng, Þróttur's groundskeeper. Isaac came to Iceland from Ghana in 2018 and applied for international protection but has repeatedly been denied. Authorities have now determined that he should be deported even though he has both a residence permit and work permit and his life is proceeding normally. Through this show of solidarity, Þróttur supporters wanted to demonstrate their support for him and show they care about him and the difficult situation he faces.
"I really don't know what to say about this love being shown to me. I don't know how to describe the feeling, but I'm speechless and very happy to experience this support," Isaac said after the solidarity gathering ended. He added that he's holding onto hope that things will change and he'll be allowed to remain in Iceland, where he has lived for six years. "I have many friends here and many of them are like family to me. I love Iceland, which is my second home. The country is peaceful and I truly appreciate how good and friendly the people here are."
