Integrating African refugees through soccer

Soccer is a universal language, say its fans. On a pitch in the German city of Cologne, a wide variety of African languages can also be heard.

"Refugees Welcome" is an initiative founded by private German citizens to hold out a helping hand to millions of people fleeing conflicts in countries such as Syria and Afghanistan. Since it started, Africans seeking asylum in Germany are also benefiting.

Young Germans in Cologne started an open football club to give African asylum seekers a platform to meet and interact with the locals. In typical German society, such an opportunity does not come very often.

Frank Strassburger, one of the local residents who started the program, told DW that playing soccer with Africans is important for him personally. "I love football," he said. "And I love to communicate with them and it's fun to do it every week. You learn a lot, you laugh a lot and you get to help sometimes."

Getting to know Germany and the Germans

Strassburger does much more than just play football with the young Africans. He also takes them out to familiarize them with life in a German city.

"They are encouraged to go out and meet people, to go out and talk to German people. And of course they have to be integrated into German society. I think this is a good way," Strassburger said.

On the field, misunderstandings sometimes happen as Cologne resident Marcus Rot experienced. "We wanted to play five against five but there was one extra person, who came in," he said referring to an African player who had joined his team but did not understand he was supposed to wait on the bench. Rot had to come off and wait instead.

"He was first with the team in yellow but then he thought he should take off the team vest. He went out and came in again without a vest. My team was then six against five," Rot explained.

Such misunderstandings are not uncommon as language is a major barrier in any intercultural exchange program.

"Not everyone speaks English, French, Pigeon, Krio or German. So sometimes it’s difficult to understand each other in a big field," German player Simon Knappe.said

Despite the challenges, the match is a big opportunity for the young Germans, who get to understand multiculturalism at home and for the Africans, who otherwise would have nothing much else to do. "We are living in one house,” said Prince from Ghana. "We don’t have anything else to do. That’s why we come for training to play football."

"It helps a lot,” another Ghanaian called Gilbert added. "Being together with them, they can teach you some words so you know how to go about doing stuff. You can learn something from them."

Boredom and frustration

On the way to the asylum shelter after the game, 28-year old Prince said he finds life life in Germany extremely difficult.

"A young guy like me, I am always inside the house every day. I just eat and sleep," he said.

Prince’s apartment is a 15 square meter (161 square feet) bedroom that he shares with three other Ghanaians. Apart from an old television set they picked up from the roadside, their apartment is equipped only with four bunk beds, chairs, a table and a toaster. They spend most of their time playing card games.

Germany does not allow refugees seeking asylum to work until their asylum is approved. That approval can take years. One of Prince’s roommates, Napoleon as he prefers to be called, is somewhat disappointed by what he has now seen in Germany. It doesn't correspond to what he saw on TV back home.

"I saw how Germans behaved, and on the other side of the world I thought it is so nice. But when I stepped into the country two-and-a-half years later, everything changed." Napoleon said."

Nevertheless, Prince says he is happy he made the dangerous journey across the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea. But it's a journey he does not recommend others to follow. "It’s not that I am saying this because I am already here and I don’t want anybody to come," Prince told DW.

"It’s so dangerous. When you are coming, you must say to yourself, either you live or you die. The journey is like war, you can meet rebels in the desert who can take your money, take your water and kill everybody," he said.