“I USED to play football in a club in Nigeria.
My manager told me that I was good and he gave me false hope to go and find a team in Europe.
“He charged me $4000 for the process of playing for a club in Izmir, in Turkey.”
So begins Pascal’s story.
However, right after landing on Turkish soil, he received a call from his manager informing him that the contract had been cancelled.
Pascal was warned by his team manager not to return to Nigeria, under the veiled threat that his life would be in danger and suggested that he travel to Istanbul.
Pascal had never heard of Istanbul.
The manager simply said to him, “this is a big city and you will find help”.
Fortunately for Pascal when he arrived at Istanbul train station a Turkish resident befriended him and helped him with the contact details of a soccer club.
The young Nigerian has been in Turkey for three years and his dream of playing soccer for a living never eventuated.
Looking back over this time Pascal said: “God put this in my path, I am sure of it.
“I trained myself in that club but finally all this came to nothing. Many promises but no results, only faith in God.”
This has been the only support he found during this time – his Christian faith and trust in God.
Regardless of all that had happened Pascal remains convinced.
“I came to Turkey with the intentions of playing football but God brought me here for another league,” he said.
“I have not played a single game with any recognised club, but I am playing a game which is more important – to give God’s testimony with my life and my actions.
“I had one plan, but God had other plans for me. God made me find another team.
“I have found a prayer group, my faith has grown, I pray every day and I give praise to Him for bringing me here.”
Pascal’s story is not unique for there are many more stories like his.
Young boys from Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and other African countries travel to Turkey with many hopes and dreams.
Following the same fraudulent system, all were promised a football club to play for, after handing over large sums of money in their home countries.
Most of them were helped by the support and efforts of their extended families only to discover on arrival that it was all a farce.
Fr Julius Ohnele, a Nigerian priest, is responsible for the pastoral care of these immigrants in Istanbul.
To counter the problems encountered by the young immigrants he has worked with a group of dedicated people over the past five years to organise a championship among the African players who have come from different countries.
After years of hard work Fr Julius has this to say about the initiative.
“The training and matches keep them busy and it’s healthy that they get training and keep themselves in form,” he said.
“Furthermore, we invite different football clubs to see them playing and through this work we have managed to place some players in clubs.”
The plight of these football players is just one specific case, but there are thousands of Africans in Turkey suffering similar heartache.
“Some of them flee from the situation of war and violence in their own countries, for example Somalia, Eritrea and Congo,” Fr Julius said.
“Others think that while living here, they will find a better life or a step closer to the neighbouring countries.
“The geographic situation of Turkey makes it a place of transit for them, however the border with Greece is very controlled and in the end many of the immigrants get stuck, without money, without work, without hope.
“Many end with depression.”
The residence permit costs from $1000 to $3000 – depending on how long one has stayed as an illegal migrant in the country – and the permit is only for six months.
Finding a job is difficult and often the immigrants feel discriminated against and disadvantaged in society.
Some of them rely on occasional work, which is also difficult to find and they make little to sustain themselves.
Frequently they look for help from Fr Julius, but he has almost nothing material to offer them except his prayers.
“It is hard to get support or any assistance for them in Turkey, much more difficult than in other countries in Europe,” he said.
To go back to their countries is impossible for them, not only due to lack of money but for more emotive reasons.
“My ‘brothers’ prefer to die starving, without medical help and being humiliated, instead of going back to their homes to destroy the hopes that families have placed on them,” Pascal said.
“In our own countries, they think that Europe is a land where they are going to find a better life and be able to help those who have been left in their countries.
“The families give out all that they have so that their child could go abroad – sometimes they borrow a big amount of money and bring themselves into debt.
“Going back home to admit that one has been deceived is unimaginable; better to die in misery than go back.”
Fr Julius said “they all suffer a lot, many end up in prison”.
“Others have tried to go to Greece with fatal results,” he said.
“Shortly, after arriving here in 2007, I lost some of my parishioners.
“I knew them, I had prayed with them.
“They all were drowned when the boat in which they went, sank.
“That day I felt my heart was broken.
“Unfortunately, this is happening continuously.”
To come to terms with this reality is not easy for these African immigrants in a country where much of the population are Muslims.
The Catholic community is one of the few places where these “diaspora Africans” feel at home.
Besides Mass in English on Sunday, Fr Julius celebrates an African Mass regularly, with its music and customs.
These occasions are a good opportunity to give them a message of hope, perseverance and encouragement.
Many of them have seen their faith strengthen after suffering so many difficulties.
There are Rosary groups and Charismatic groups.
“The prayer sustains us all. God is their hope,” Fr Julius said.
The Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need is supporting the Church in Turkey to assist their work with African immigrants.
