Read this too:
http://bleachersbrew.blogspot.com/2008/10/home-team.html
Two young men from Cameroon are wandering around Manila looking for work as footballers. Or even anything at this point.
They were playing semi-professionally in their native Cameroon and even traveled to Gabon, an adjacent nation in Africa. While there, they were approached by an agent representing a football league in Uzbekistan. This "agent" was very professional and he had professional documentation.
The agent took videos of the players and sent them out. Two months went by before they heard from him again.
"We believed him," said Alex ruefully. "He had everything in order." But now the agent is long gone and his cell phone off perhaps forever.
Paul Kiyek Ribouen and Alex Obiang are wonderful footballers. The beautiful game is theirs to share and that love led them to chase the dream of youth. But somewhere the dream turned into a nightmare.
Paul's mother borrowed the six thousand dollars the agent required of them for their papers. And now that they're not playing let alone making money, it has caused a very serious problem back home for the family.
If Paul returns and cannot pay back what was borrowed he could be imprisoned for as long as ten years. "I would rather die that go back without the money," he explains.
As long as Paul does not return both he and his family stay out of trouble. "
Both Paul and Alex lived in the province outside of Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. Paul was training to be an electrician but money was hard to come by and he had to stop his schooling. Leaving to play for football seemed like a bright opportunity.
Alex's father is recently retired and his pension was cashed in to raise the needed six thousand. Being the oldest of five boys, Alex bore the responsibility of helping out so his brothers could go to school. "I cannot return without the money," he admits. "There is too much pressure."
Life has been hard but Alex recites his goal like a mantra: "I want to play ball. I want to do my job." It keeps him focused and sane. And on good days, even hopeful.
When Paul and Alex left Cameroon with the agent they went to Dubai to catch their flight to Uzbekistan and the waiting professional club. At Dubai there was some issues with the visa and as Paul stated, "the machinery was broke."
Between the ticket agent and the football agent the decision was made to route the players through Manila. In Manila they told that they would be met by a contact who would facilitate their transfer to Uzbekistan.
There was no contact in Manila and Paul and Alex have been here for six months. They speak broken English and no Tagalog. And their tourist visas have long expired.
Paul and Alex lived in a Pension House in Malate for three weeks. They paid three hundred pesos a day until their savings ran out. They have been getting money wired from relatives, but it is very sporadic and they spent a number of weeks sleeping on the streets. Recently they have been renting a room, sleeping on a mat in Intramuros.
They agreed to pay 3500 pesos for the month, but the owner changed that saying it was only for the week, so they are confused again and are beginning to understand that some will cheat anyone for gain.
According to Paul their families are aware of the situation they are in. They communicate sporadically using cell phones, but there is no question of them coming home. For Paul it is prison, for Alex it is failure and a fathers lost livelihood, a livelihood he is responsible for.
Paul and Alex were running two months ago (training for that game they love) and met a Chinese man. When he heard they were footballers, he suggested they contact Don Bosco. Don Bosco referred them to Coach Marlon at St. Benilde, who invited them to participate in the Sunday practice of the Philippine Homeless World Cup team.
Only in a game, or perhaps if your Faith allows, in fellowship with your God, can you shed the heaviness of life and abandon your sorrows. When Paul and Alex come and play they dance on our pitch like the footballers they dream of being. They are a welcome addition to Team Philippines, but, and I have been accused of using that word too often, our welcome to them is only temporary. When the games end, they go off, into Manila and everyone shakes their head and wonders what will happen, what were they thinking.
As if to emphasize that last sentence I got a text from them.
"Hello bill how r u now? Pls help we 2 need to go somewhere we can play." And then just a bit later. "pls bill we need some help."
For me, I looked at my phone, shut it with a snap, because my phone does that, and wonder what is going on? Why are two young boys from Africa here in Manila and what do I do now?
So friends here is our solution. Paul and Alex are presently being fed and housed by two guys that can't afford it (Jeff Long and myself). They have expired visas that will cost 600 dollars to renew because of penalties. They have friends in Thailand. Tickets to Thailand are 200 dollars. All told we need about a thousand dollars to get these guys to Thailand. Can you help? Email me at bill@thejeepney.com.
http://bleachersbrew.blogspot.com/2008/10/home-team.html
Two young men from Cameroon are wandering around Manila looking for work as footballers. Or even anything at this point.
They were playing semi-professionally in their native Cameroon and even traveled to Gabon, an adjacent nation in Africa. While there, they were approached by an agent representing a football league in Uzbekistan. This "agent" was very professional and he had professional documentation.
The agent took videos of the players and sent them out. Two months went by before they heard from him again.
"We believed him," said Alex ruefully. "He had everything in order." But now the agent is long gone and his cell phone off perhaps forever.
Paul Kiyek Ribouen and Alex Obiang are wonderful footballers. The beautiful game is theirs to share and that love led them to chase the dream of youth. But somewhere the dream turned into a nightmare.
Paul's mother borrowed the six thousand dollars the agent required of them for their papers. And now that they're not playing let alone making money, it has caused a very serious problem back home for the family.
If Paul returns and cannot pay back what was borrowed he could be imprisoned for as long as ten years. "I would rather die that go back without the money," he explains.
As long as Paul does not return both he and his family stay out of trouble. "
Both Paul and Alex lived in the province outside of Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. Paul was training to be an electrician but money was hard to come by and he had to stop his schooling. Leaving to play for football seemed like a bright opportunity.
Alex's father is recently retired and his pension was cashed in to raise the needed six thousand. Being the oldest of five boys, Alex bore the responsibility of helping out so his brothers could go to school. "I cannot return without the money," he admits. "There is too much pressure."
Life has been hard but Alex recites his goal like a mantra: "I want to play ball. I want to do my job." It keeps him focused and sane. And on good days, even hopeful.
When Paul and Alex left Cameroon with the agent they went to Dubai to catch their flight to Uzbekistan and the waiting professional club. At Dubai there was some issues with the visa and as Paul stated, "the machinery was broke."
Between the ticket agent and the football agent the decision was made to route the players through Manila. In Manila they told that they would be met by a contact who would facilitate their transfer to Uzbekistan.
There was no contact in Manila and Paul and Alex have been here for six months. They speak broken English and no Tagalog. And their tourist visas have long expired.
Paul and Alex lived in a Pension House in Malate for three weeks. They paid three hundred pesos a day until their savings ran out. They have been getting money wired from relatives, but it is very sporadic and they spent a number of weeks sleeping on the streets. Recently they have been renting a room, sleeping on a mat in Intramuros.
They agreed to pay 3500 pesos for the month, but the owner changed that saying it was only for the week, so they are confused again and are beginning to understand that some will cheat anyone for gain.
According to Paul their families are aware of the situation they are in. They communicate sporadically using cell phones, but there is no question of them coming home. For Paul it is prison, for Alex it is failure and a fathers lost livelihood, a livelihood he is responsible for.
Paul and Alex were running two months ago (training for that game they love) and met a Chinese man. When he heard they were footballers, he suggested they contact Don Bosco. Don Bosco referred them to Coach Marlon at St. Benilde, who invited them to participate in the Sunday practice of the Philippine Homeless World Cup team.
Only in a game, or perhaps if your Faith allows, in fellowship with your God, can you shed the heaviness of life and abandon your sorrows. When Paul and Alex come and play they dance on our pitch like the footballers they dream of being. They are a welcome addition to Team Philippines, but, and I have been accused of using that word too often, our welcome to them is only temporary. When the games end, they go off, into Manila and everyone shakes their head and wonders what will happen, what were they thinking.
As if to emphasize that last sentence I got a text from them.
"Hello bill how r u now? Pls help we 2 need to go somewhere we can play." And then just a bit later. "pls bill we need some help."
For me, I looked at my phone, shut it with a snap, because my phone does that, and wonder what is going on? Why are two young boys from Africa here in Manila and what do I do now?
So friends here is our solution. Paul and Alex are presently being fed and housed by two guys that can't afford it (Jeff Long and myself). They have expired visas that will cost 600 dollars to renew because of penalties. They have friends in Thailand. Tickets to Thailand are 200 dollars. All told we need about a thousand dollars to get these guys to Thailand. Can you help? Email me at bill@thejeepney.com.
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