I posted this initially on the Shaolin Soccer thread in the Media forum, but the story is still percolating so I'm posting it here now. Even Shaolin gets in on the World Cup action.

Shaolin Soccer – kung fu monks take on brewery
By Malcolm Moore World Last updated: July 13th, 2010

At 5.30pm on Sunday, just a few hours before the World Cup final, eleven teenage Shaolin monks took to a field in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, Henan province, for their first-ever football match.

“The boys, who are training in kung fu, came up with the idea of setting up a team,” said Feng Weifeng, a spokesman for the Shaolin Temple’s Tagou Martial Arts School. “They are all mad about football. They have been watching the World Cup in their dorms every night. They all have their own team, and they tend to like Brazil and Argentina. Messi is their favourite,” he added.

Knowledge of the game, however, was limited. “Some of them had never touched a football before, and they kept using their hands,” said Mr Feng.

On the pitch, however, the athletic monks were a blur, entertaining the crowd with an array of flips, somersault and overhead kicks.

They were such a blur, in fact that no one is quite sure who won the match. According to Tsingtao, they triumphed by a modest 15 goals to 8. The Shaolin Temple, meanwhile, feels that it won 10 to 8. “It was hard to say,” said one commentator. “Most of the goals from both sides were offside.”

Unlike Holland, the monks did not rack up any yellow or red cards. Not because they did not foul, but because the referee did not have any cards. “Offsides, corner kicks, fouls and handballs were all overlooked,” reported one newspaper in Henan.

Anyone who has watched Shaolin Soccer, the film by Steven Chow which imagines a possible union between kung fu and football will be entertained to know that Wang Pengyu, the Shaolin goalie, managed to puncture a new ball by kicking it too hard.

“The ball did not fly through the air, but stuck on the end of the keeper’s toe,” said the newspaper. “They have Shaolin Kung Fu and strong legs,” remarked one fan.

“We have no plans for another match yet,” said Mr Feng. “The students are very busy and we are just having fun, not playing for a crowd”.


Kung football: Shaolin monk students show Holland's Nigel de Jong how it's really done
Last updated at 2:54 PM on 13th July 2010

High kicks and brightly coloured outfits, these Shaolin students at a Chinese monastery have a lot in common with Holland’s footballers.

But unlike the fiery World Cup finalists, these yellow-robed youngsters know their martial arts from their two-footed tackles.

Kung flew: A Shaolin student delivers a flying football kick while practising at Tagou Wushu School in China

Their soccer efforts certainly outshine Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong’s astonishing challenge on Spain’s Xabi Alonso in Sunday’s tempestuous tie.

And unlike Holland’s hotheads, students at Tagou Wushu School in Dengfeng, central China, prefer to keep cool - and achieve this by meditating while balancing the ball.

They even laughed it off when an overly enthusiastic ‘tackle’ burst the ball, bringing an end to the team’s training session in the tranquil foothills of Mount Song.

The school is linked to the Shaolin Monastery in the Henan province, which was founded in the fifth century.

The students have just formed their football team and will be looking to take on fellow martial arts experts.

Let’s just hope messrs de Jong and co don’t get any new ideas.




On me 'ead..
13/07/2010

Eat your heart out Nigel De Jong. When it comes to football high kicks you're Sunday pub league next to this lot.

Holland hardman De Jong was yellow carded for karate kicking opponent Xabi Alonso in the World Cup final.

But if he faced one of these martial art ****kids even De Jong would be likely to pull out of the tackle. The apprentice Shaolin monks showed off their amazing skills at Dengfeng, in China's Henan province, where a football school has recently been established.

Wearing bright robes, the students practised karate kicks and headstands while controlling the ball with ease.

Perhaps butterfingers England keeper Robert Green could pop in for a lesson.