There 's been the first (and only) team of Italian political refugees and asylum seekers, the main recognition Mondiali annually organized by Uisp (Italian Union of Sport for All). The "World Cup" awarded a team, a project that sought to give a different image of the term "refugee", proliferating in our media with negative value, comparing it to the image of "player", which is known figure popular in Italy.
can not be say that the visibility is not the Liberi Nantes, which last year have appeared in several TV as well as on the main Italian newspapers and magazines. What has not changed is the precarious condition of virtually all the players on the team, and generally difficult to be recognized as people with academic qualifications and professionalism, in addition to the difficulties of life and football skills.
On this the players were not helped much either by the many media that have given attention, with some exceptions. This is why today I would like to point out the article published in the journal paper a few weeks ago, the journalist Lucia Alessi, who spoke in a balanced manner, the different aspects of complex reality, summarized in the team "Liberi Nantes.
Lucia Alessi (Charter)
"ADPARENT RARI NANTES Gurgi in vast" . [A few swimmers appear in the vast sea]. First Book of the Aeneid: forced to flee from war and violence, the Trojan hero abandons his earth find refuge on the coast of Lazio, where, legend has it, build the city of Rome. A refugee, therefore, give rise to the 'Roman race. "
Again oggi Enea fugge ogni giorno dai paesi in cui è nato e cresciuto: che si tratti dell’Afghanistan, dell’Eritrea, o della Somalia, non cambia molto. Solo che il mare oggi sembra essere ben più affollato, e quei «rari nantes» sono diventati migliaia, molti dei quali approdano, anche loro, sulle coste della penisola italiana; 38 mila di questi, come Enea, sono rimasti qui.
Come Maws, un informatico togolese, 30 anni, in Italia da 20 mesi. Parla un italiano stentato
ma corretto, elegante; merito del suo francese. «In Togo ero un attivista politico, lottavo contro la
dittatura di Faure Gnassingbé, figlio dell’ex dittatore Gnassingbé Eyadema, con l’Unione delle forze per change [UFC] - says maws - The government has put in prison
once, but when she got the second call I knew what I was going
meeting, and I was forced to flee. " With the help of UFC, maws
can reach Ghana, and there, with a false passport, to catch a plane to Rome. In addition to freedom, another great passion is flying in the heart of maws football.
was a professional league in his country, "the first salary came from my high school coach the team. In exchange for not paying the tuition, but my father did not know, so I kept the money for me - amused says - But then I preferred to continue his studies, leaving that football remained a passion. " Arriving in Italy, his new house is called Astalli Center, where he met a friend, who was also with the passion for football. It is he who brings the maws of the slack, "Nantes Free Ads," where maws not believe his eyes: a team made up entirely of refugees and asylum seekers.
Founded in 2007, Liberi Nantes is the result of the sporting passion of a group of young Romans who came back from World antiracist Casalecchio, decide to make their contribution to replace the culture of anti-sectarian hatred that too often hovers over the fans. "We wanted to merge two topics very Strengths: football and political refugees - said the president, Gianluca Di Girolamo - we had read a similar experience in the U.S. and we liked the idea of \u200b\u200bputting together the passion of so many children, with stories so special.
"We did not know how it would be so difficult to combine experience, team spirit was the hardest thing to build - continues Giroux. - The vast majority of them grew up in a hostile environment, used to go it alone. It is not easy, point-blank
, begin to trust someone else. " But little by little, the boys have made it, thanks to the passion that binds them and a strong will.
"We started to train in winter, T-shirts given away by the fishermen of Ostia and it was terribly cold," recalls Ali, Afghanistan. But such was the desire "to train also withdrew dinner," he says proudly, recalling the hard times of the reception centers. "At first everyone was playing only with their fellow-maws still remembers -
Then we talked about: we had to play all together to be a team, and the day that we were really united in the field, we won. There we see, "he says with emotion.
After a year of sacrifice, in September 2008, the team is able to enroll in the Journal of the Italian Federation
Championship game Football - National League amateur
third category. "It was not easy to combine training with the job search,
pursuits permissions - tells maws - immediately after the registration to the League
we found ourselves without a team." This is the time when maws
understand what it means to be a captain, he was rebuilding the team, thanks to a strong
mediation work: "One of us had gone to France to seek better conditions
: I managed to convince to come back, 'and there are also those who
has even left an engagement in first class to return from his companions.
Of the 200 children who took turns in Free nantes, 26 are enrolled today,
they are mostly from Afghanistan and many African countries torn by civil wars or dictatorships
. "In other European countries is not the case - said Ali bitter - if you recognize the status
allow you to live in dignity, they give you a house and a
work. Here in Italy, however, our rights are only on paper but in reality
not give us anything, "he concludes. "Each of us remembers some
died during the journey to Europe, we are very frightened by what is happening in
Italy," adds maws. And after a championship
concluded in tenth position out of 14 competing teams, i Liberi nantes guardano ai Mondiali
antirazzisti di luglio, organizzati dall’Unione italiana sport per tutti [Uisp], che ha
subito sostenuto l’iniziativa mettendo a disposizione il campo del «Fulvio Bernardini» per gli
allenamenti, condividendo l’idea dello sport come strumento di integrazione e socializzazione.
Ma il coraggio della squadra più multietnica d’Italia non ha lasciato indifferente
neanche l’Alto commissariato Onu per i rifugiati: «Al mondo siamo i soli ad avere
il simbolo Acnur sulle maglie», spiega De Girolamo. L’altro undici patrocinato
dall’Onu è proprio il Barcellona che scala la vetta della Champion’s league proprio mentre, tra e secondo tempo, Maws ci racconta della sua squadra.
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