AsiaLIFE

Whether you’ve seen him spinning salsa tunes, sipping coffee or teaching kids how to use their left foot, Jimmy Campbell is a familiar face around the Penh. Julie Masis catches up with Mr Salsa Football.

It might surprise many to discover that Phnom Penh’s DJ Jimmy Salsa lives and breathes football not Latin beats. Unlike most football fanatics who will be glued to the World Cup in South Africa, Jimmy Campbell is more drawn towards the Homeless World Cup, which will take place in Brazil in September.

An international football championship for young people who have been homeless or lived in orphanages, more than 50 countries will send players to this year’s Homeless World Cup. In Cambodia, an NGO called Happy Football Cambodia-Australia, where Jimmy is the head coach, is trying to raise about US$20,000 from sponsors to send a group of Cambodian footballers on their first trip abroad.

Six players between the ages of 16 and 20 were selected for their football ability, attendance and attitude, says Jimmy, and the money will cover airfare to Rio de Janeiro, visas, passports and other expenses.

“It’s not about winning, it’s about giving players an opportunity to travel and see a part of the world they never would be able to experience otherwise, and to meet other players from different cultures,” says Jimmy, who has never been to Brazil himself and is very much looking forward to the trip.

Last year, he took a group of Khmer players to Milan, Italy, for the same event. In between football practices and games, the players did some sightseeing, visited a cathedral, and were “a bit awestruck,” according to Jimmy.

The Glaswegian has played football ever since he can remember. “As soon as I was walking, I started kicking a ball,” he says.

Paid to play his favourite sport from the age of 17 until three years ago – although he would not reveal how old he is now – Jimmy has been a football coach for 15 years in Europe, Australia and Cambodia. In addition to coaching the players for the NGO every Saturday morning, he also teaches football at the International School of Phnom Penh. He even received the coach of the year award in New South Wales in 2006. His greatest football moment was playing on the same pitch as legendary Northern Irish and Manchester United footballer George Best, his childhood hero.

But being a football coach in Cambodia presents special challenges, he says. While the popularity of football in Cambodia is growing – so much so that on Saturday afternoons “every inch” at the National Stadium has someone playing football on it, there is a serious lack of facilities and equipment.

The football field at the Boeung Keng Kang High School, where Jimmy’s players practice on Saturday mornings, has poor drainage and almost no grass. Many of the players cannot even afford football boots – or any shoes at all. So they play barefoot.

“Players in Cambodia will just play on anything,” says Jimmy. “For a lot of them, they’ll play in any condition.”

Everything else is in short supply too – balls, protective gear, and even socks, t-shirts and shorts. The NGO tries to provide the players with shoes and equipment, but Jimmy says that donations are always welcome.

Before the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia used to have a good football team that was respected in the region. But after the war, Cambodian footballers have “been struggling a lot,” admits Jimmy.

Football aside, Jimmy has two other part-time jobs.

He is Phnom Penh’s one and only salsa music DJ. You can check out his Latin music collection at Equinox on Wednesday nights.

Also, Jimmy is a coffee expert.

While having an afternoon meeting at Café Fresco on the riverside recently, Jimmy ordered a cup of what must be his favourite hot beverage – but sent it back twice. The milk in the coffee was not prepared the way it should be, he said. Jimmy is perhaps more particular about his coffee than most Phnom Penh café-goers. After working in the hospitality industry for years – he was once the general manager of the FCC ­– Jimmy became a coffee-coach. He coffee-trains Fresco Café’s employees, and can’t let an imperfect beverage pass him by without some criticism.

But it is football that is his true passion and despite his involvement in the other world cup later in the year, he is looking forward to watching this year’s World Cup especially because it will take place on the African continent for the first time. He expects the Ivory Coast to do well.

“It’s going to be unique from that perspective and it wouldn’t surprise me if an African team came close to winning it,” he says. As for the homeless world cup, simply taking part is what counts most.

To learn more, visit Jimmy’s website: www.goldstarfootballcoaching.com, or contact him at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 017 679 487.

To get some more information about Happy Football Cambodia Australia, and how to make a donation to help Khmer footballers go to the Homeless World Cup in Brazil, go to: http://hfcaustralia.org/.