From Rebels to Strikers: Former FARC fighters & police officers face off on the pitch

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Efforts to re-integrate former FARC fighters into Colombian society have been slow. But one group of former rebels and police officers believe football is the key. CGTN's Toby Muse reports.

Five years ago, these men were trying to kill each other. Today, two teams of police and former FARC guerrillas take a group photo before a football match. The idea of this match is to strengthen ties between the former enemies, to find peace through football. The team's captains give their men pep talks.

MAJOR FRANCISCO JAVIER ORTEGA COLOMBIAN POLICE "This is a game with the ex-combatants of the FARC. This is with our neighbors, good luck."

"The idea is play well-behaved, play clean and no rancor."

Matches like this are only possible thanks to the 2016 peace deal between the government and the FARC militant group- that ended one of Latin America's bloodiest civil wars.

JESUS DIAZ FORMER FARC REBEL "This is historic. We've never seen this before - ex-guerrillas and police officers facing off, but not in combat but on a football pitch."

The two sides play hard. They're no longer enemies, but on the pitch they're rivals and pride is at stake. Still, the guerrillas take the lead.

TOBY MUSE ICONONZO "If you didn't know, you couldn't tell who was a policeman and who was an ex-guerrilla. And that was always the tragedy of the Colombian conflict: the poorest of the poor fighting itself on the frontline of a war that no longer made any sense."

Still this is the Colombian countryside, the pitch and the uniforms are not quite up to FIFA standards. And out here, it's not hooligans who invade the pitch, but cows.

Since the guerrillas demobilized, they're also helping teach local youngsters football. Here ex-rebel Mario Alberto Montiel and a former soldier, Omar Cortez have developed a deep friendship over the love of football. They say that football is a way of keeping the children out of lives of crime.

MARIO MONTIEL FORMER FARC REBEL "We are increasing their access to sport and culture, getting them involved in this rather than things they shouldn't be doing."

OMAR CORTEZ FOOTBALL COACH "We're teaching the kids to be good people, more social and to give love."

Back at the match, it's half-time and tempers flare as the police blame each other for the loss. They're down 3-1. And the goals keep coming. By the end, it's 10-2 - the day belongs to the FARC. But there's no hard feelings.

MAJOR FRANCISCO JAVIER ORTEGA COLOMBIAN POLICE "Football brings people together. We do these activities with the community and the people of the FARC, this type of integration through football brings people together and forges these ties of brotherhood we have with them."

No cup for the winners, just a cigarette. Sometimes, peace isn't achieved through the grand signing of agreements, rather through 22 players meeting on a football pitch. Toby Muse, CGTN, Icononzo, Colombia.