Street smart and on the ball: Hungary's homeless footballers have World Cup shot

Playing soccer for the last decade has given 22-year-old Hungarian Patrik Paladi friends, a chance to travel, and above all stability, which helped him finish secondary school and overcome his family's financial hardship.

A highlight on the pitch for Paladi was winning a silver medal with his team for the under-privileged, homeless and refugees at the eight-nation Homeless Euro 2024 football championship in Hamburg in June, where they faced peers from across Europe.

Now the team, run by Hungary's Oltalom Sport Association, heads to the South Korean capital Seoul for the Homeless World Cup, starting on Saturday. "I came to train here first about 10 years ago and I am fairly dedicated," Paladi said.

He proudly lists the countries he has played against with the team – including Wales, host of the 2019 Homeless World Cup.

Oltalom provides regular, free sports opportunities for those living in poverty, homeless people, youngsters raised in institutions and also young refugees.

The association is backed by sponsors including the European Union's Erasmus+ programme, the UEFA Foundation for Children and the Common Goal charity and also relies on donations. It does not receive support from the Hungarian state and it does not have a permanent training ground. Financing its activities is difficult, Oltalom says.

Besides the joy of playing soccer, youngsters learn life skills such as co-operation, teamwork and building resilience, helping them overcome trauma. Many of them also get new chances in life.

"This is a place where no one does anything wrong, at least while they are here," Paladi said, referring to the beneficial effects of playing on a team and becoming engaged in sports.

Most children and young people training with Oltalom come from deeply poor backgrounds. Some 85 percent of teenagers currently playing come from state foster care institutions.

Oltalom often holds training sessions in children's homes or juvenile detention facilities. Last year, 361 youngsters took part in training sessions with around 60-100 turning up at least once a week.

In Hamburg, away from the hype surrounding the men's European Championship, the homeless tournament brought together people from different backgrounds who learned to accept each other and express themselves through football.

Fitzgerald Fontah Kwe, or Gerard as his teammates call him, a 29-year-old Cameroonian member of the Hungarian team, came to Budapest to study in 2017 and joined the Oltalom team in 2022.

He says the team is really inclusive, giving people from different backgrounds a chance to play and learn to be tolerant. "For people who do not have the means it's a good opportunity, it is inclusive and people have a sense of purpose," he said.

Youngsters attending the regular training sessions include refugees from Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt and Libya, as well as Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.

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