Football Academy: the Real Thing by Tom Palmer & Brian Williamson

Author:Tom Palmer & Brian Williamson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780141931159
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2009-06-10T16:00:00+00:00

After the Spanish and Italian players were changed, there was an evening welcome party for the players of all four teams at the Legia stadium – in a banqueting suite that overlooked the pitch.

Tomasz was very happy. That he was here. Part of the tournament. And that he had come back to Poland wearing an English football shirt. United’s. One of the most famous shirts in the world.

During the party there’d been a series of speeches, in Polish, Italian, Spanish and English. Just beforehand, Tomasz talked to a Legia Warsaw player called Lukasz. He found out he was from the same part of town as he was. As they talked, Tomasz felt some of his local accent coming back. It was a nice feeling.

Tomasz watched everyone during the speeches.

Ryan rolled his eyes at all the different languages.

The Real players, clustered together, wearing ties and blazers, listening in silence.

The Legia players, all wearing team tracksuits, some of them talking during the Italian version of the speech.

The Italians, all dark hair and confident smiles, even though they’d drawn their opening game.

And then Tomasz looked at his team-mates. His English team-mates. He saw Jake and Yunis standing together, shoulder to shoulder, even if Jake was a foot shorter. And James and Ben, the only two black lads in the room, drinking Coke from their glasses at exactly the same time. Even Ryan, who gave him so much trouble. These were his team-mates. He was one of them. A United player: not a Polish player. An English player. He felt proud to be among them.

But then – out of the corner of his eye – he saw a group of other boys standing near James and Ben. Polish boys. All wearing the same kind of jacket – black leather. They definitely weren’t Legia players, he’d have recognized them. Maybe they were supporters from the games earlier, Tomasz thought. They must have been something to do with someone – or they wouldn’t be at the reception.

Tomasz wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but he saw one of them laugh, then push James on purpose. Only gently. But it was a push all the same.

James turned round. He’d spilled his drink down his front, but he looked at the boys in a friendly way.

He thinks it was an accident, Tomasz thought.

Then he saw the lads hold their hands up – as if to say it had been an accident.

Tomasz didn’t like what he’d seen. Why had they done that? Pushed James on purpose. Because he was sure they had done it deliberately. There was something about it all that worried him.

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