November 21 – A former top-flight Syrian goalkeeper now based in the UK has given a heartfelt and graphic description of how life was before fleeing his homeland.
Fahd Saleh, who is settling in the English midlands in the hope of establishing himself as a coach, explained how his home in the besieged city of Homs was destroyed and how he has rebuilt his life.
“Losing the house is better than losing your life – it was time to save the family,” Saleh, who used to play for Al-Karamah, one of Syria’s biggest clubs, told the BBC through an interpreter. “Everything was burned. There was a guestroom with all my memorabilia, medals, trophies, and it was gone – everything was gone.
“The house that you work hard to have, the home and life you establish, in a moment it is all gone.”
Father of two young sons, Saleh, 31, and his family moved to the UK under a United Nations programme in December 2015, after fleeing Syria, first for the United Arab Emirates, and subsequently Jordan.
Speaking of his ambitions to make a name for himself in his new environment, he said: “I’ve had the passion for football since I was a young child and I will work to be the best goalkeeping coach in the world. This is my dream and I realise that I won’t be able to do it on my own without the support of the community as well to push me to where I can serve best.”
“One major factor in coming to this country is my children. I want them to have a safe place to learn and flourish – to become something, to have a future. We have come here to add to society, not to be a burden. This is what we strive for.”
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