Street roots., February 24, 2017, Page 10, Image 10

2, 2017
International
Page 11
Youths in the Refugee shelter in
Thessaloniki, Greece, play soccer with
vendors from Shedia, the street paper in
Athens.
BY CHRIS ALEFANTIS
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R IT E R
utside the gates of an old paper towel
factory in the northern Greek
seaport of Thessaloniki, a group of
Shedia street paper vendors waited patiently
together with players of the Greek
Homeless Football Team.
The players were here for a football
match with people living on the other side
of the gates. Beyond them, they could make
out the white tents where over 1,500
refugees slept. Social initiative Kick Out
Poverty recently recorded the figure. They
counted 5,780 refugees in various suburbs
Street paper vendors jo in Greek Homeless Football
of Athens - and 4,127 in Thessaloniki. The
list is long - and growing.
Team to bring joy o f football to refugee camps
The Shedia vendors were partnering the
footballers through the connection with
Kick Out Poverty, as organisers of the visit.
matches.
Understanding Tournament may sound a
Shedia and Street Roots are among 120
little obvious, b u t th e m e a n in g b e h in d it is
Today is just one of many visits by th e
newspapers and magazines in the
^lioiw ^ n h in e 3’^-
G re e k H o m e le ss F ootball T eam to refu g e e
International Network of Street Papers.
As soon as the ball bounced into the
centers. Setting up mobile pitches to the
Two police officers checked the group’s
makeshift center circle, the first match
standard of the Homeless World Cup, they
ID cards and the list of residents sent by the are organizing matches with refugee
began, and with it a joyful chaos that lasted
Ministry of Migration Policy. These were
for most of the day. Around six balls were
children, their parents and anybody else
the names of those who’d meet the players
lost due to misplaced kicks. But they did not
who wants to kick a ball - refugee center
and take part in the match.
lose anything really. They only gained.
volunteers, security guards, police officers
Among members of the Greek Homeless
“This is the happiest day that I have
and soldiers.
Football Team were six women who played
spent here in the center,” said the coach,
The ultimate goal is to bring the children
in last year’s Homeless World Cup in
who seemed to enjoy the joyous upheaval of
a little bit of joy through playing football,
Glasgow, Scotland. They proudly returned
getting the games started.
and
the
chance
for
the
Greek
participants
to
from Scotland with the Fair Play Award -
, Said one of the team players, “Look at it
get
closer
to
and
understand
refugees
from
the trophy presented for embracing the
this way: it’s like tightly embracing all those
different
countries.
The
Friendship
and
spirit of the tournament in each of their
0
Universal pitch
people, those children, and caressing their
face and their soul. Giving them a bit of joy.
That’s the bare minimum.”
There was also no shortage of actual
hugs. The female team members showered
one child after another with affection.
Everyone involved - the footballers, the
refugees and the vendors - have all
experienced the loss of home at some point,
each in their own lonely way. That is why
they were there, to share common ground
and experiences.
The sight of one of the women tightly
holding a refugee child, speaking to him
with affection without taking her eyes off
him, is something that stayed with the
group all day.
The game lasted until the early afternoon.
“When will you cothe back?” asked the
children as the team loaded the mobile pitch
^l^acjk o n to jts tru c k . N o b o d y k n ew th e
correct answer. They left saying they would
be back “soon/
As they left, one young man, around 25
years old, continued running up and down in
front of the old factory. He wore football
boots and a look of deep concentration,
kicking a leather ball. He didn’t want to lose
control of it; his face was lit up with a bright
smile. That was a piece of the legacy they
left behind.
Translated fro m Greek by Jay Fratzeskos
Courtesy o f S h e d ia / INSP.ngo
ACROSS
DOUGHNUT
tROSSWOBO r a z z u
Fermentation agent
1.
Have a bite
4.
Tree fluid
6.
Cake ingredient
7.
Three-ply cookie
8.
Hook's henchman
9.
12. Ground grain
14. The gift of 4__
16. Tease or ridicule
17. Francis or Kevin?
GOWN
Affirmativei
1.
Type of fritter
2.
Analyze or try
3.
Cake ingredient
4.
Tres
5.
Deal
8.
10. Patter's practice
11. Noshl
13. Late rapper; abbr.
_ appetit
15.
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