Gandhi's pioneering role in using the game of football to aid his political struggle in South Africa is a rather unknown facet of his life.
However, this work of his bears a momentous legacy in terms of promoting a non-racial sporting tradition which influenced other world leaders in times to come.
However, his keen mind soon found in the game of football a tool, which he could use in his non-violent resistance against racial discrimination. He realized its potential in terms of its popularity with the less-affluent classes and its spirit of team play and used it for forging social cohesiveness amongst the colored people of South Africa.
Gandhi set up three football clubs in Durban, Pretoria, and Johannesburg in the early 1900s, and named them as Passive Resisters Soccer Club.
He made his presence felt by using the match venues to give speeches to the spectators and to distribute pamphlets which stated the negative impacts of racial segregation. He went to talk to the teams at half-time about the principles of nonviolent resistance and even posed with the players for group pictures.
It was no surprise that the venues for the football matches also included Gandhi's Tolstoy farm in Johannesburg and the Phoenix settlement. The proceeds from such matches were used for giving relief to the families of resisters.
In 1903 the South African Association of Hindu Football was established with Gandhi's active support. This, in turn, led to the creation of a national federation and leagues, in which players were chosen regardless of their skin color.
Gandhi decided to return to India in 1914, but he didn't give up his interest in the game. He warmly welcomed and facilitated the tour of the first football team from South Africa in 1921-22, which was mainly made up of players of Indian origin.
