Pakistan trounce India 13-0 at Street Child World Cup

RIO DE JANEIRO: Not a cricket bat in sight. Instead, a taste of the "Maracana" atmosphere as Pakistani and Indian street children met Tuesday at the Street Child World Cup in Rio. The result, a thumping 13-0 win for the Pakistanis, was immaterial, team delegations stressed, as they eschewed traditional rivalries.

Star of the show was 15-year-old Raziq Mushtaq, who bagged eight goals to leave the Indian defense in tatters.

"I am very happy to score eight goals. I have always dreamed of being a footballer," beamed Raziq."But I never dreamed of playing an event in Brazil, the land of football," said the youngster, the pick of a selection spotted by non-profit charity Azad Foundation which rehabilitates street children in Karachi.

India won the inaugural event in Durban four years ago, but were no match for a side which outmuscled them at the "Maracana," one of the pitches at the Vargen Pequena complex in Rio´s western suburbs.

Robbed of a triple hattrick only by the crossbar, Raziq said the tournament was the opportunity of a lifetime for him and another 230 children, boys and girls, at an event which boasts former England skipper David Beckham as a patron.

Syed Farrukh E Bokhari, supporting the Pakistani charity in London, said street children suffered in that they often had no personal documentation from birth and were seen as non-persons."In these cases, the government should become a guardian. They should facilitate that."A child should not need a piece of paper to say ´I am someone.´ He is who he is. I am who I am." (AFP)