Football campaign set up to support refugees

Manar fled the war in Syria and said football helped him to forget his problems

A new football campaign has been launched to support refugees and raise awareness of their plights.

The Fair Shot initiative aims to provide a safe space for people who have fled to the UK due to war or persecution in their home countries.

Wolverhampton Wanderers helped to set up the project, which saw the formation of Fair Shot FC.

The squad is made up of players from Afghanistan, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Namibia, Senegal, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Syria and The Gambia.

Next season, Wolves is set to host a competition for their fans to train and play side by side with Fair Shot FC in a friendly five-a-side match.

"It's everything, it's like a dream. I feel nothing when I play football, so when I don't play, I feel everything, like the problems. When I play, the problems go away, ” said Manar, 25, a Fair Shot FC player who fled the war in Syria.

Tom Warren, head of the Wolves Foundation, said: “We know the power football has to transcend borders and bring people together on and off the pitch.

"Everyone should have the chance to play and enjoy the beautiful game, in the same way everyone deserves the right to be treated with kindness and compassion. We at Wolves, and our fans strongly believe in that.”

Fair Shot FC is made up of players from 10 different countries

The players for Fair Shot FC have been selected from Refugee Council’s Youth Connect project and grassroots organisations that run football programmes across Essex, Surrey and Preston.

They will be led by coach David Simmons who runs Changing Lives FC, based in Harlow, Essex, the only competitive refugee football team in the UK.

Mr Simmons will be assisted by Liubov Liushnenko, a refugee from Ukraine, who now plays for AFC Sudbury Women’s First Team and coaches with Changing Lives.

She said: "Football is about fairness, and this is something I have felt from the British people who have welcomed me here.

"I hope this can be extended to everyone, who through no fault of their own have had to leave their homes to find peace here in the UK.”