‘I’ve met only good people in the two years I have been here’
ICAME to Northern Ireland in October 2016. I had not intended to come here as I had hoped to go to Germany. I lived in Iran but had a problem there and had to leave — I don’t want to go into details — so I fled first to Turkey and then moved on.
I have been blind since I was aged nine. I could see a little before that. When I could see I played a lot of football for my city in Iran, but that ended when my sight went.
I used to think that maybe in the future I could see again and that I would be able to play again. Then one day a friend telephoned me and said that they had started up blind football in Iran and would I like to play it. At that time I was very excited.
I have always been very sporting. As well as playing football, I have a black belt in karate. I was the first blind person in Iran to be awarded a black belt.
I also played blind football in games in Turkey, Japan and Korea, and our team won gold and silver medals in those competitions. I came to London in 2012 to compete in the Paralympics but injured my leg and was unable to take part.
When I first came to Northern Ireland I thought of very little. I had just wanted to get out of Iran and to find somewhere safe for me. Later, however, I began to think again about starting a blind football team. I might have to start in England. Every day I go to the gym and train and hope that I will be able to play in one of the English teams.
However, Northern Ireland is now my country and it is very important to me that some organisation would support me in establishing a team here.
I have to praise the Red Cross. They helped me with everything and enable
❝ Blind football is my passion, and I was the first blind person in Iran to get a karate black belt
me to live here. When I came here I had problems about where to live, how to get a GP, where to go training and finding some sports organisation that could help me. The Red Cross have good people. They help others not just because that is their work but because they treat them like friends. They made me feel like a friend rather than a client.
I have also found the people of Northern Ireland very friendly. I find I have a connection with people when I go anywhere. In any country there are good people and bad people, but in Northern Ireland I have only found good people during all the time I have lived here”