Angus comes
from the Nigerian city, Onisha, and fled to Austria because of religious reasons. After the Graz 2003
Homeless World Cup Angus started to attend German language courses and
is studying for a diploma at high school. He was signed by a semi
professional football club in the regional league of Styria (SC
Murfeld) and went on to play for FC Graz.
Cheong started his career as a professional football player in Hong Kong. His compulsive gambling took control of his life and when his football team terminated his contract he was unable to find work and he became homeless. He joined the Homeless World Cup team for Edinburgh 2005. He has since passed his coaching certificates and coaches a homeless soccer team.
David
played for Scotland at the Gothenburg 2004 Homeless World Cup. He is
now a qualified coach and as Manager of Scotland recently took the team
to victory at the Copenhagen 2007 Homeless World Cup. He has completed a HNC in
community development and now owns his own home.
Eugene, from Ghana, has demonstrated strong courage becoming free from drugs and gaining employment as a teacher. With his salary he is able to rent a room and is no longer homeless.
Evegeniy, Ukraine won the "Golden Shoe" award for top scorer at the Gothenburg 2004 Homeless World Cup, scoring an amazing 53 goals in the tournament. At 20 years old Evgeniy Adamenko found himself in a crisis familiar to many young people in Ukraine. No job, nowhere to go, no vision for his life. He lived in permanent conflict with his family, stayed at friend's flats, started to sleep rough in the streets of Odessa.
Juan, Spain, failed to complete his university studies and went through a
succession of short term jobs before becoming homeless more than five years ago. He now
shares a house in San Lorenzo del Escorial which he describes as “a
beautiful area near the mountains.”
Lee, Wales, says hostels are draining; you are in with people you don’t know and who have all sorts of problems – it’s a terrible life. The Homeless World Cup highlights the fact that we aren’t all alcoholics who want to be homeless. A lot of homeless people want a chance to get on with life and if it takes football to get that into the average person’s brain you have to support it 100 per cent."
Mario, Portugal, explains that "thanks to
the Homeless World Cup people started to see me in a different way, in a good
way." After the tournament Mario re-established contact with his family and friends and found a house. He works part-time in a
supermarket with ambitions to set
up a garage with his brother. He continues to play football
regularly and is now the goalkeeper for his local team.
Nikiforos,
Greece, admits that even today he finds it hard to give an accurate
account of his inner feelings and the way the unique experience of
Greece's baptism of fire at the Copenhage 2007 Homeless World Cup
affected his life.
Peter, Germany, has started his own library business and attends evening classes in order to achieve a high-school-degree with the intention to go on to study psychology at university.
Sara,
Portugal, has suffered from mental illness since childhood. A
dysfunctional
family life to alcoholism and drug addiction and she spent about two
years living in abandoned houses or on the street. Shortly before
Edinburgh 2005 she returned her parents house to rebuild her family
life. She has finished technical
school studying carpentry and decoration.
Stephanie, USA, joined the team when she had outstayed her welcome at the Salvation Army Women’ Shelter and was camping out in an abandoned building. At 45 years old Stephanie was not only the oldest player on the team, but one of just three women. Despite never having played soccer, she learned quickly and soon began teaching technique to new team members as well as counselling younger members of the team on how to roll with the punches that life throws.
Tracey, Australia, was homeless for four years after losing her house as a result of
drug addiction and mixing with the wrong people. "I also lost friends
and family, basically everything. I was literally in the gutter and felt depressed suicidal and at the
end of my life. I did not see a future and could not look forwards. My life was drugs, alcohol and the gutter."
