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Ex-internationals help kick off Manchester’s fifth Refugee World Cup

11 June 2004

Former international footballers who fled persecution in their own countries will take part in Manchester’s very own Refugee World Cup on Sunday June 13th.

A former goalkeeper for the Burundi national team and four Angolan internationals are among the asylum seekers and refugees who will play alongside members of the local community during the annual tournament, now in its fifth year.

Some 16 teams from countries as diverse as Angola, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Kosovo and Afghanistan will compete in the World Cup, as well as Inter Manchester FC – the first refugee football team to enter a Sunday League in the city. The tournament will also feature home grown talent in the form of local teams such as Manchester Motown and Broughton Men’s Club.

Aime Saidi, former goalkeeper for Burundi, plays with Tameside-based Undugu FC. He fled ethnic conflict in his country after his parents were killed, fearing that as a well-known member of the Hutu community, the Tutsi militia would target him. He has since been granted leave to remain in the UK.

Aime says: “Our team meets every Sunday and we can share ideas and socialise through football. The World Cup is a fantastic way for people from different parts of the country and different communities to come together, and each year it just gets better.

Local businesses, including The Big Issue in the North, are also supporting the event by entering teams of their own.

The tournament is organised by Unity FC, a Manchester-based voluntary group that uses football to improve understanding between communities, and Refugee Action, an independent national charity working to help refugees build new lives in the UK.

Refugee Action’s Tim Hilton, one of the event organisers, explains:

“Football is an excellent way to build bridges between communities, tackle misunderstandings and enhance integration. The members of these teams have fled persecution in their home countries and are facing the challenges of rebuilding their lives in Manchester. They have sought safety in Britain from many different parts of the world and each has their own story to tell, but they are united by their passion for football and their wish to interact positively with the local community.”

The Refugee World Cup will take place at the Armitage Centre, University of Manchester, Moseley Road, Fallowfield, Manchester from 11am until 4.30pm.

For more information, or to request an interview with a player or organiser, please contact: Julia Ravenscroft, Press Officer, on 0161 233 1956 or juliar@refugee-action.org.uk.

Notes to editors

Refugee teams in this years’ tournament include reigning champions VG Foundation, from Angola, Amakhosi FC from Zimbabwe and Shamil FC from Somalia.
Refugee Action is an independent, national charity working to enable refugees to build new lives in the UK. We provide practical advice and assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers and long-term commitment to their settlement through community development work, and received 30,000 visits from asylum seekers last year. As one of the country’s leading agencies in the field, Refugee Action has 22 years’ experience in pioneering innovative work in partnership with refugees.

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