Indonesian soccer team bests Vietnamese squad in New Taipei tournament

首屆新北市國際移工足球賽印尼甘比亞隊贏越南奪冠

Indonesian team wins championship of New Taipei International Migrant Soccer Competition held at Xinzhuang Sports Complex

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- A team largely composed of Indonesian migrant workers, Pojok Joyo FC, defeated Bac Giang FC, a team mainly made up of?their Vietnamese competitors, at the first New Taipei International Migrant Soccer Competition held yesterday?(Oct. 22), reported IDN news.

After a series of matches held on weekends between a total of eight teams, the Indonesian and Vietnamese squads made it to the finals yesterday at the Xinzhuang Sports Complex, where the Indonesian team took a decisive win of 2-0. The winning team was then handed a trophy and a check for NT$30,000 by Labor Affairs Department Deputy Commissioner Hsu Hsiu-neng (許秀能).

The tournament, which was organized by?New Taipei City's Labor Affairs Department to encourage migrant workers to engage in leisure activities and promote physical and mental health, consisted of 150 foreign laborers from 10 countries, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, the Gambia, Brazil, Mexico, Malawi, and Taiwan, according to a press release by the organization.

To take part in the first soccer tournament of its kind in New Taipei, foreign workers not only came from the host city but also flocked in from many other parts of Taiwan, including Taoyuan, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, and Tainan. The players mainly came from the technology, machinery, and labor intensive industries, and participate on their rest days.

In addition to Bac Giang?FC, the third place team and fourth place teams, FC 34 and Xin Zhuang FC, respectively, also consisted primarily of Vietnamese players. For their efforts, the three teams also took home trophies and bonuses of NT$15,000, NT$10,000, and NT$8,000, respectively. In addition to the soccer matches, there were also lucky draws, quiz games, and Indonesian and Vietnamese cultural performances.

The teams consist of eight players and the games are played for only 40 minutes in a single elimination format.?