CAIRO: An Egyptian sports academy is looking for the country’s next big football star among orphans and street children, hoping to give them a shot at improving their lives.
Founded by former professional football player Tamer Begato, Children Without Shelter organizes matches between young boys willing to demonstrate their football skills before asking them to join the academy.
“I started observing stories of the young children and how their whole dream was to become a hero or champion. They were taken with becoming a football champion,” Begato said.
“I felt that through football I can bring out a talent inside a boy, without him already knowing he has the talent. He could become very big in football, or a any other field.”
Funded by Begato, the academy was founded this year and now trains over fifty children between the ages of eight and fourteen.
While the training is largely focused on football skills and tactics, children also receive behavioral and psychological care in hope to eventually help them integrate into society.
“There has to be psychological support and rehabilitation before they start playing football (full time)” said psychologist and trainer Ghada Abdelrahim.
“They could play football but the main goal and psychological comfort for the child would not be achieved. This is what we work on in our program,” she added.
According to the United Nations there are around 150 million street children around the world, and a 2014 study by Egypt’s National Institute for Social and Criminal Studies estimated that there are more than 16,000 street children in Egypt, a country of more than 95 million.
Egyptian orphans score with football academy
Egyptian orphans score with football academy
- Children Without Shelter organises matches between young boys willing to demonstrate their football skills
- It then asks them to join the academy
Angola cancel pre-World Cup friendlies against Iran, Jordan
- Angolan officials said they tried to seek an alternative for the match against Jordan
- Angola said they were therefore canceling plans to play in the March international window
LUANDA: Angola have canceled planned friendlies this month against Jordan and Iran, the Angolan Football Federation said in a statement.
They were due to take on Jordan and Iran, who have both qualified for the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USlater this year, in Dubai at the end of March.
“The aggravation of the current conflict in the Middle East and the consequent instability that is felt in the region meant a serious, prudent and responsible re-evaluation,” the statement said.
Angolan officials said they tried to seek an alternative for the match against Jordan but “after a deep and rigorous evaluation of the financial obligations involved, the required logistical and administrative effort and the respective competitive benefit for the national team, it has been concluded that playing just one game would not rationally and strategically be justified.”
Angola said they were therefore canceling plans to play in the March international window. The country did not qualify for the 2026 World Cup and will play their next competitive fixture in September when the group qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals kick off.
They recently fired French coach Patrice Beaumelle and have yet to appoint a successor.
