Fans rally to refugee cause, players are tardy, Fifa silent

THE image of Saido Berahino, pictured, posing in a private jet after being given compassionate leave by West Bromwich Albion was insultingly smug, irredeemably stupid and uniquely depressing given his background as a former refugee whose family fled civil war in Burundi.

The child who played with a ball of plastic bags secured by shoelaces, and took DNA tests to prove he was his widowed mother’s son when he arrived in the UK aged 10, stateless and alone, has grown into a cosseted young man who appears to believe the world owes him an extravagant living.

He duly deleted the photograph, posted on social media following his threat to strike due to the collapse of a proposed £25m transfer to Tottenham, but the damage had been done. In any other week it would have been symbolic of football's ability to strip participants of perspective; in this it was unavoidably offensive.

The power of an altogether more profound, tragic and unforgettable image, that of the body of three-year old Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi lying in shallow breakwater on a Turkish beach, has galvanised public opinion so radically compassion has become a political weapon, used to defend victims of a humanitarian emergency.

There will be those who feel such issues do not belong here in the toy department, yet it is surely appropriate that something that sheds such light on the human condition as sport should be used to demonstrate a social conscience. We should not be surprised the response to the refugee crisis has been driven from the ground floor, principally by football supporters’ groups in Germany whose lead has been followed by those in England, who have designated next Saturday as a day of action.

Some sports bodies, such as the International Olympic Committee, which has created a £1.3m emergency fund to help refugees, have mirrored the mood. The silence from Fifa, whose surplus runs to billions, has been predictably deafening.

Closer to home, the Premier League remain in their corporate cocoon. The money is there to help, despite a net spend of £432.6m in sport’s greatest manifestation of greed and insincerity, the transfer window. The soothing platitudes of corporate responsibility programmes give clubs the means to respond, if the will to do so exists.

There has been a reluctance to engage beyond subtle reminders of such initiatives as Premier Skills, a community engagement scheme run by the Premier League and British Council. Coaches from Everton, Aston Villa and Portsmouth worked on integration programmes for Syrian refugees in Egypt last year.

Socially aware clubs like Stoke City underpin disadvantaged communities; I have seen them deliver projects in sink estates which lead to quantifiable reductions in criminal and socially destructive behaviour. In an age of austerity, they also provide a platform for literacy and health work more traditionally undertaken by local authorities.

Yet too many clubs instinctively use community activity as a means of sponsor exposure, tying in coverage with suitablypromoted photo opportunities and interviews with players who, in the main, faithfully go through the motions without engaging with the cause.

They are drawn mainly from the working class and, increasingly, reflect fractured family life, since coaches confirm the majority of emerging footballers are products of broken homes. They are not necessarily impervious to injustice or intolerance, though they are products of a culture which celebrates the superficial.

Why should they be seen to care more, or less, than those in less celebrated jobs, living more mundane lives? It is a fair question, which skirts around their responsibilities as status symbols, while emphasising their right to live as they please.

As harsh as it seems to single him out, if Berahino had committed himself to the #refugeeswelcome campaign instead of glorying in his good fortune, his intervention would have been potent and personally relevant. – The Independent OFTEN, to get ahead in sport, and life, it’s better to choose the road less travelled. Convenience drives society and most people refuse to be shaken from their comfort zones.

Nazier Jacobs found himself with such a decision to make when approached by Limpopo Province-based Premier Soccer League (PSL) club Polokwane City. It would have been easy for the 26-yearold central midfielder to stay at National First Division (NFD) side Milano United, the Grassy Park team where he was a cult figure, having risen through their junior ranks to eventually go on to captain the senior squad.

But Jacobs, pictured, has always wanted to play in the PSL. Although initially daunted at having to move from the comfort of the Mother City’s womb, he decided this was it… he wasn’t getting any younger and, if he wanted to test himself at the highest level of club football in the country, then this was the opportunity.

Jacobs signed a three-year deal with Polokwane this season – and, so far, he has no regrets. Just three games into the new PSL campaign, Jacobsreturnstothe Mother City this weekend when his Polokwane team takes on Ajax Cape Town at the Cape TownStadiumonSaturday(kick-off8.15pm).

There are, of course, many Cape pioneers, who made similar such decisions to go on and make a success of careers up north. The most notable is current Wits coach Gavin Hunt, who found himself with nowhere to go in 2001. Axed by Hellenic, and unable to find a coaching job in the Cape, he made the bold decision to coach Black Leopards in the Limpopo Province. His work there is the stuff of legend – and he went on to become one of the top mentors in the PSL after his subsequent feats at Moroka Swallows and SuperSport United.

For Jacobs, the lad from Lavender Hill, the motivation to take the plunge came from fellow-Capetonian Cole Alexander. Mitchells Plain midfielder Alexander was out of the picture at Ajax when he decided to sign for Polokwane last season. It turned out to be an inspired move, with the player’s magnificent form eventually culminating in a PSL Player of the Season nomination.

Alexander has been instrumental in making Jacobs’ move to Polokwane a stress-free one. “Cole has really helped me to adapt to my new surroundings,” said Jacobs. “His advice and assistance have been invaluable in allowing me to settle.

“I’m enjoying it here. The passion for football in this area is unbelievable…”

Jacobs has been a regular feature for his new club in the opening three games, either from the start or off the bench.

“Polokwane have always had their eye on signing me,” he explained.

“When Milano were in the promotion play-offs two seasons ago, Polokwane already approached the club to sign me. But, because Milano felt that we could perhaps win promotion the next season, they asked me to stay…

“Unfortunately, it never happened for Milano as far as promotion was concerned last season, so Polokwane came back again with another proposal to sign me. This time, Milano accepted, and I made the decision that the time was right for a new challenge.”

Jacobs knows quite a few players in the current Ajax squad. “(But) this is football, there are no friends on match-day. Last season I played with Ruzaigh Gamildien at Milano (Gamildien signed for Ajax this season), and there are few other players I also know well. But I have a job to do and, as a team, we won’t be too concerned about anything but our own objectives.

“The coach (Polokwane’s Kosta Papic) always tells us that we have to try to win every game, and that is always our approach. We’ll play our normal game against Ajax… we’ll continue to believe in ourselves, and believe that we can come to Cape Town and take three points.” – Rodney Reiners