“An amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

This is how Lorenzo Claassen from Cloetesville described his month-long stay as a volunteer at the FIFA World Cup in Mexico City.

“I had the privilege to not only to represent South Africa at the World Cup in Mexico City, but also Africa, after being selected by the FIFA Community Leaders Programme as a volunteer,” Claassen explains.

“What an amazing and once-in-a-lifetime experience, not only to broaden my overseas travel but also meeting people from other countries and experiencing the cuisine of Mexico first hand.

“I was looking forward to see the performances of Bafana Bafana in a World Cup after we qualified in 1998, 2002 and 2010 when we hosted it here on home soil. Simphewe Tshabalala scored the first goal against Mexico in 2010, the same team they played in the opening match of the tournament this year.”

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Flying the flag

Four volunteers were chosen by FIFA as volunteers in Mexico City: Natalia Catalina Hernandez and David Osorio from Colombia, Aldin Vojvoda from Germany and Claassen representing South Africa. The two other African volunteers from Uganda and Kenya did not make it due to visa problems.

“The country I was looking forward to see in action was England, specifically Jude Bellingham, a very good player. We all know what he did to secure the semi-final spot against Argentina, scoring two goals against Norway,” Claassen says.

“Being a volunteer, you are not allowed to watch games in person, only on television in the Volunteer Centre, but I had a sneak peak to see the English players in person against Mexico as part of the shift when they locked horns. I sneaked in after half-time to watch my hero play and that was definitely one of the highlights of the World Cup.”

Sneak peak

There were many other highlights but the most memorable was the rehearsal two days before the opening match.

“The volunteers had the privilege to step onto the pitch as players during rehearsals and I sat in the locker room that would be used by Bafana Bafana.

“I stepped out as a ‘Bafana player’ on the pitch and sang our national anthem in front of an empty stadium as a South African. In the game between Mexico and Ecuador, I was the flagbearer of Mexico on the pitch and met the Mexican superstar Radamal Falcao at our hotel.

“Another highlight was the overall feeling of being in the stadium on my shift when a match was being played and the interaction with fans from around the globe,” Claassen says.

Passion to promote soccer

Soccer was his first love growing up in Stellenbosch when he received his provincial colours as an under-15 and under-17 player, before he switched to rugby at Blakes and Van der Stel-Evergreens rugby clubs.

The past five years Claassen has worked as a coach at Training4Changes and has been involved in projects at local schools.

“I have passion to promote soccer at Dorothea School in Cloetesville, where I have hosted weekly training sessions with the learners. I like working with kids with disabilities; my involvement in the community is my journey with soccer.”

His experience in Mexico City was “unbelievable”, not only being there, but the welcoming nature and hospitality of the locals.

Initially they were lost in translation as Claassen cannot speak Spanish and many locals are unfamiliar with English, but they soon found common ground.

“The cuisine was amazing; I tried many dishes and the locals also recommended to try street vendors, but I am not adventurous when it comes to food, so I mostly stuck to the tacos,” he relates.

“The way the other three volunteers handled situations in their own way was a new experience. I was amazed to see how people from different countries can come together to work for a common goal. The outstanding thing about an event like the World Cup is that you must be ready for anything, as changes on the day can be made in minutes, whether you planned it to perfection, you must be ready for any disappointment, rescheduling or adaptation. You must always be ready to walk the extra mile,” he says.

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