Refugee pursuing soccer dream abroad
TOKYO — At a soccer pitch in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, a forward with sculpted features kicked the ball into the net with his right foot. His teammates ran up to him, grinning.
The player was Yasser Jamal, 25, a Syrian refugee who escaped the civil war in his home country. He is now pursuing his dream of becoming a professional soccer player in a foreign country.
In February 2013, Jamal, who was a university student at the time, heard the deafening blast of an explosion while preparing lunch with his mother and younger sister at home in Damascus.
They took shelter in the basement. The explosions lasted until midnight, and the next morning, he found the upper stories of their four-story apartment building were destroyed. Then he decided to leave. That same year, Jamal and his mother and sister came to Japan through his uncle, who is married to a Japanese woman, and applied for asylum.
They lived in an apartment in Saitama, and Jamal worked in a restaurant and other places six days a week.
In March 2015, he was finally recognized as a refugee. Since then, his family’s life has improved.
He has received support such as learning the Japanese language, and was able to bring his father, who had remained in Syria, to Japan.
Around that time, the thought occurred to him that he wanted to become a professional soccer player.
Before coming to Japan, Jamal had belonged to clubs mainly in the second and third divisions of the Syrian soccer league.
In April, he received a scholarship and began studying at university again, which was his long-cherished dream.
With the help of Kenichi Kono, a soccer consultant with whom Jamal became acquainted via the nonprofit organization Japan Association for Refugees, he now practices soccer about four days a week.
“His strengths are his speed and an ability to break down the defense,” Kono, 56, said. Jamal never fails to do his training runs. Jamal began playing soccer after watching the anime series Captain Tsubasa.
“I’ve made many friends through soccer. I want to become a professional soccer player and have Japanese people learn more about Syria,” he said, sitting on his bed at home.