Former Church of Scotland Minister in South Africa for Homeless World Cup

A retired minister with the Church of Scotland is in South Africa to help out at the fourth Homeless World Cup which was officially launched on Thursday.

|PIC1|The high-profile event has gained momentum each year and now has the support of sports giant Nike and also the football governing body UEFA as well as major international teams including Manchester United.

And the competition has been a truly life-changing event for many of the players who took part previously.

No less than 12 of the players who took part in 2005 now make their livings partly from football either as coaches or as players with professional and semi-professional teams.

Iain Whyte, minister of Merksworth Church in Paisley, Scotland, between 1976 and 1981, has been a lifelong passionate fan of St Mirren FC - at one time managed by Alex Ferguson - and is making sure he can be of any help he can at the event.

Not only will he be busy either running teams to and from their training camps, he may even be coaching some of the players who are taking part, reports the Paisley Daily Express Sport.

He said prior to his departure for Cape Town: "Football is a universal language, where people can get their self respect back and feel wanted, so I'm looking forward to being a part of it."

And Iain's thoughts on Scotland's chances of success in the competition?

"It's difficult to say how they will get on, but Scotland have done a lot better in the Homeless World Cup than any other world cup, so hopefully they will do quite well," he said.

"But it's not just the one cup that's awarded.

"They award various team prizes because that way it gives everybody a lift, and gives teams a bit of self respect."

The Homeless World Cup was set up in Austria in 2003 by social entrepreneur Mel Young Harald Schmied as an initiative to end homelessness and break poverty.

The opening game of the Homeless World Cup will see South Africa take on Chile at Cape Town's historic Grand Parade, site of Nelson Mandela's release.

Special guest of honour at the opening ceremony this weekend will be the Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Around 100,000 spectators are expected to cheer on the more than 500 players from 48 countries.

The event has built on its success over the years which have seen it staged in Austria, Sweden and Edinburgh last year. It comes to an end 30 September.