June 29 2006
Dunga and Hugo Sanchez visit SOS Children's Village Ammersee
29/06/2006 - Dunga, captain of Brazil's 1994 World Cup winning squad, and former Mexican football star Hugo Sanchez, delighted children by joining them for a football match at the children's village in Ammersee. The two football greats also pledged their support for 6 villages for 2006.
Dunga and Hugo Sanchez, who both serve as FIFA/SOS ambassadors and are currently at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany working as television commentators for broadcasters from their respective countries, took time off on Wednesday to visit the children's village in Ammersee near Munich.
The two former football greats arrived at the premises near the picturesque Ammersee in the early afternoon and first took a small tour of the children's village, which included a visit to one of the SOS family houses with an SOS mother, before they were treated to a drum playing session by the children.
Before making their way onto the football pitch, Dunga and Sanchez held a small press conference for the children and replied to their many questions. "Who are your favourite players from the Brazilian team?" a young boy asked Dunga. "Ronaldinho Gaucho, Ronaldo and all of the other players as well," said the former Brazilian champion.
Once on the pitch, the children were first entertained by "Beto el Dominador", a football trick-shot star and good friend of Hugo Sanchez. Beto, who holds the world record for keeping the ball in the air - a whole two hours - mesmerised the children by ball juggling whilst changing into his football kit and doing sit ups.
The two players and the children, all sporting 6 villages for 2006 t-shirts, then split into two teams and engaged in a game of football, before the two sides posed for group photographs. Dunga and Sanchez are both "FIFA for SOS Children's Villages" ambassadors and fully support 6 villages for 2006, the official charity campaign of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™.
The goal of 6 villages for 2006 is to collect donations from football fans worldwide to give 800 orphaned and abandoned children a new family home in six new children's villages, as well as to provide a further 5,000 children and 1,000 families with social services at ancillary projects. One of these new children's villages is being built in Igarassu in Dunga's native Brazil and another in Sanchez's native Mexico, in the city of Morelia.