PLAYERS from 16 countries brought passion and skill to Exeter on June 14 - competing not just for football glory, but to send a message that racism has no place in the game.

The Kurdistan team were the Plate winners.
The Kurdistan team were the Plate winners. (Daniel Ridgeway/Exeter City Community Trust)
Proud Grecians volunteer Alan Quick; The Lord Mayor of Exeter, Cllr Gemma Rolstone; event organiser Suaad Genem-George; Peter Ferlie, Chair of Exeter City Supporters’ Trust and Shraddha Chaudhary, Assistant Director Wellbeing, Inclusion and Culture (University of Exeter).
Proud Grecians volunteer Alan Quick; The Lord Mayor of Exeter, Cllr Gemma Rolstone; event organiser Suaad Genem-George; Peter Ferlie, Chair of Exeter City Supporters’ Trust and Shraddha Chaudhary, Assistant Director Wellbeing, Inclusion and Culture (University of Exeter). (Daniel Ridgeway/Exeter City Community Trust)

The 22nd annual Kick Racism Out of Football tournament, organised by Exeter International Football Club in partnership with Exeter City Community Trust, drew teams representing every corner of the globe to the University of Exeter's Streatham campus on Sunday.

All of the teams and the organisers and helpers with the Lord Mayor of Exeter.
All of the teams and the organisers and helpers with the Lord Mayor of Exeter. (Daniel Ridgeway/Exeter City Community Trust)
The Isca Apollo team represented Scotland.
The Isca Apollo team represented Scotland. (Daniel Ridgeway/Exeter City Community Trust.)

Spain, Colombia, Brazil, Scotland, Cape Verde, Romania, India, Turkey, Nigeria, China, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Palestine, England, Argentina and Senegal were all represented by sides in the five-a-side competition - a snapshot of the diversity that makes Exeter's community so vibrant.

The Namaste Exeter team represented India.
The Namaste Exeter team represented India. (Daniel Ridgeway/Exeter City Community Trust.)
The team representing China.
The team representing China. (Daniel Ridgeway/Exeter City Community Trust.)

The Lord Mayor of Exeter, Cllr Gemma Rolstone, attended the event alongside Shraddha Chaudhary, Assistant Director Wellbeing, Inclusion and Culture (University of Exeter), event organisers Suaad Genem-George and Ali Omrani, and Pete Ferlie, Chair of Exeter City Supporters' Trust, which donated towards the staging of the tournament.

One of the teams which competed in the Kick it Out Tournament. AQ 3196
One of the teams which competed in the Kick it Out Tournament. AQ 3196 (Alan Quick, Crediton Courier)

The overall title was taken by Romania, with Kurdistan winning the plate tournament.

Jamie Vittles, Chief Executive of Exeter City Community Trust, said: "This tournament has been bringing people together for more than 20 years, and its importance hasn't diminished one bit.

The Nigerian teams which took part. AQ 3318
The Nigerian teams which took part. AQ 3318 (Alan Quick, Crediton Courier)

“Football has a unique power to break down barriers - and events like this show what sport can do when it's rooted in a community as welcoming as Exeter's.

“We're grateful to the University of Exeter for hosting this year's event, and to Exeter City Supporters' Trust for their continued support.”

Now in its 22nd year, the tournament is one of the longest-running anti-racism football events in the region.