THE two Irish teams may have missed out on the Euros but Northern Ireland is still getting its own taste of international football this summer with its Confederation Cup 2021.
Ethnic Minority Sports Organisation NI (EMSONI) first held its competition in 2019 as an exhibition of the range of nationalities that now call the north home.
After a Covid-19 break last year, 11 different countries are fielding teams this summer, along with two ethnic groupings, an international select 11 and a homeless team.
The tournament launches on Sunday and runs for eight weeks at the Olympia Park and Ulidia Playing Fields in Belfast, culminating in a final fixture cum community fiesta on Saturday August 28.
The Northern Ireland Confederation Cup aims to encourage social inter-community interaction through football and create an opportunity for people with varied skills, socio-economic and political background to participate in grassroots football.
The event is funded by Belfast City Council, Community Foundation Northern Ireland, The Housing Executive, Belfast Harbour and The Ireland Funds and supported by Rosario YFC.
Following a draw ceremony last week 15 registered communities were split into three groups.
The communities involved include Romanian, Nigerian, Timorese, Portuguese, Zimbabwean and Polish.
EMSONI chair Adekanmi Abayomi said this year's competition is "in honour of Noah Donohoe".
"Our Northern Ireland Confederation Cup does not only embody cooperation, respect, and participation but it also inspires people to work towards common beliefs concerning shared interests in life."
Faisal Kadiri of EMSONI urged everyone to "come join us to celebrate these games as they unfold providing opportunity for community-wide cohesion, promoting equality, diversity, integration, social inclusion, and entertainment".
Housing Executive Race Relations Officer Sylwia McAvoy said: "Belfast is a changing city and initiatives such as are vital to promote good relations and build stronger community cohesion."
