From Sudan to Italy: crossing the Mediterranean for football

By Toni Conde Molina

Rome, Jun 17 (EFE).- Saeed Mohammed and Islam Adam share not only friendship, but a passion for football that led the young men to take the dangerous route from Sudan to Italy to follow their dreams.

Born in the outskirts of Khartoum, Saeed and Islam grew up in a climate of hunger, insecurity and violence.

“The insecurity in Sudan does not give you peace of mind, sometimes you don’t sleep at night for fear of the armed groups,” Islam told Efe.

Armed groups in Sudan recruit young men to fight in the war in Yemen.

“We come from poor families, in a place where the law is far away,” the 19-year-old added.

But despite the harsh reality in which the boys grew up in, they continued to nurture their passion for football and went on to play in the Sudanese Premier League.

“The ball for us is life, soccer is my life,” said Saeed.

But when the insecurity in Sudan worsened, the best friends realized it wasn’t the right place to make their dreams come true and decided to embark on the dangerous crossing of the Mediterranean from North Africa to Italy.

“I left my country to find security and an opportunity to materialize my dream,” Saeed said.