The Language Of Football
Ghayth Amino & Sohuad, Spain
My name is Ghayth Amino, I am 13 years old, I am from Syria. I arrived in Spain in 2020 although I lived for a time in Lebanon. I love football, it is my passion. Since I was little, I liked to play soccer. Before leaving Syria, I played soccer. We left because of armed conflicts and war. When I arrived in Lebanon, I continued playing soccer with a local team, with other Syrian children.
I currently live in the CAR (Refugee Reception Centre) in Alcobendas where I met other children and continue playing soccer. In Syria it is very important to play soccer with friends and in the future I want to be a professional soccer player. I want to be a footballer like Cristiano Ronaldo.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any broader meaning with the photos?
I showed CAR residents and my cousins. My cousin Karim didn't know how to play football much and now he likes it and plays with us. It makes me happy that we all play together. The photos were taken in the park that is near the centre and in the Alcobendas Sports Centre. I wanted to show that I love to play soccer with different people. I have also realised that I want to belong to a soccer team and to train and compete in the leagues.
What role does football play in your life at the moment? How has CAR Alcobendas helped you?
Football is the language that has allowed me to meet new people, that opens doors for me and that allows me to communicate with people outside my country without speaking the same language. I am now signed up for a team from Alcobendas. On the days I don't train, I play at the CAR with my brothers, cousins and other people from the CAR. It does not matter how old we are or what language we speak. At the end of the day, we all know how to play and by playing we understand each other without having to speak.
The CAR signed me up for a soccer team. I meet new and different people and I like it a lot. It helps me with discipline. I play with some Spanish people, who I meet in the park. I am very happy to be able to practice my favourite sport and that thanks to it I am learning to speak better Spanish.
Sohuad
I am Sohuad, I am 12 years old. I am Syrian but I grew up in Lebanon. I think that we left to escape the war, but I was a baby.
I had never really played soccer. I started playing in Spain. In my country girls don't play soccer. When I got to the CAR in Alcobendas, I went out to the park with the boys and girls, and they played soccer, but I just sat there watching. But one day, after many weeks watching others play, after they insisted a lot and above all, when I saw that more girls were playing soccer, I signed up and started playing. Now I have a great time playing with other boys and girls.
The truth is that it’s the only thing that interests me, I don't want to win or lose, I just want to have fun. In the future I would like to be a dentist.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any broader meaning with the photos?
Before I thought that girls did not play football and I have seen that they do and that it is useful to make friends. I showed my friends in the park and on the soccer field, celebrating scoring goals. We have known each other for months and play football and other activities.
Why is soccer important to you?
Soccer is fun for everyone. I laugh with my cousins and my brother. Soccer helps me to make friends. I play with Spaniards that I meet in the park and at school.
