For a brief moment, goalscorers forget poverty and war
Mohammed, 13, celebrates scoring his goal in front of his house in the old streets of Casablanca, Morocco, April 28, 2018. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal
(Reuters) - The eyes of the world will turn to Russia this week for the World Cup but it is far away you must look to find the sport's beating heart -- on war-ravaged streets and in poverty-stricken slums where the simple act of scoring a goal transcends the grind of everyday life.
For every goal celebrated by the 32-teams at the four-yearly gathering of soccer's superstars, thousands more will be scored on makeshift pitches in Yemen, Somalia and Gaza and beyond.
They will not be recorded for posterity and replayed thousands of times over. But they will not be forgotten and the scorer, for a few minutes at least, can dream of being a hero.
Gassim Osman, 13, scores a goal as children play football on the street near houses in Khartoum, Sudan May 14, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
"My favourite player is (Argentina's Lionel) Messi. When I score a goal I feel happy and successful, I'm pleased that my team mates are also happy with me," 14-year-old Mohammed Ali Kargbo said after scoring a goal in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
In the four years since FIFA's extravaganza was played out across Brazil, soccer's governing body has been dogged by corruption scandals provoking accusations from fans that the 'beautiful game' has been poisoned by greed.
The month-long tournament in Russia is officially costing an eye-watering 683 billion rubles ($11 billion). Many of the players are millionaires many times over.
Remi Bamba scores a goal during a football match in a street of a neighborhood in Abidjan, Ivory Coast May 21, 2018. REUTERS/Luc Gnago
Dreams cost nothing, though. Try telling 12-year-old Aoud Moustafa, who plays with his friends in Syria's Zaizon refugee camp in Deraa that soccer has lost its soul.
"When I score I feel very happy and I also feel that I am stronger and faster than my friends," he said after a game on a dusty patch of earth.
The World Cup will be played in 12 ultra-modern stadiums across Russia, most newly-built with sums of money that would be truly life-changing for millions of vulnerable people across Africa and the Middle East.
Safe El-Din Adam, 16, celebrates after scoring his goal during a football game in the streets of Khartoum, Sudan May 13, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah
Yet access to a ball and a goal, be it a couple of chunks of masonry, two twisted sticks in the desert or a the remains of a bombed-out building can provide a 'theatre of dreams' -- a refuge from the horrors of armed conflict or the daily struggle of a life lived in the most challenging circumstances.
For one young boy playing in the playground of a bomb-damaged school in Benghazi, Libya, the simple act of scoring a goal represents a homecoming of sorts -- the chance of a return to some semblance of normality
"I feel joyful because I am playing in my own area, which I have been unable to do for more than three years because of the war," he said.
John Kibe celebrates scoring a goal at a soccer pitch near Mathare valley slums of Nairobi, Kenya May 12, 2018. REUTERS/Njeri Mwangi
(Reporting by Martyn Herman. Editing by Patrick Johnston)
Laye shoots to score as he plays soccer in the ACI 2000 neighborhood of Bamako, Mali May 12, 2018. REUTERS/Annie Risemberg Adnan, 11, (C) celebrates scoring a goal in front of his house in the old streets of Casablanca, Morocco April 28, 2018. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal Omarbah scores a goal with a deflated ball as boys play football in the ACI 2000 neighborhood of Bamako, Mali May 12, 2018. REUTERS/Annie Risemberg A player scores a goal during a training session by soccer teams from the Nima Community in Kanda, a neighborhood of Accra, Ghana May 7, 2018. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko John Kibe (L) shoots to score a goal at a soccer pitch near Mathare valley slums of Nairobi, Kenya May 12, 2018. REUTERS/Njeri Mwangi Mohammed Ali Kargbo, 14, celebrates after scoring a goal in Freetown, Sierra Leone April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Olivia Acland Aoud Moustafa, 12, scores a goal in Zaizon refugee camp in Deraa, Syria May 23, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Faqir Egyptian boy Mohamed Touba, known as "Salaho" celebrates after scoring a goal with his friends at an empty area after Friday prayers in Cairo, Egypt May 12, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh Cesar Masto Hassan, 13, scores a goal as he plays with others at Sharya refugee camp on the outskirts of Duhok province, Iraq May 9, 2018. REUTERS/Ari Jalal Dziedzorm scores a goal during a soccer game referred to as "small poles" on the compound of the Dambai EP Church in the town of Dambai, Ghana May 14, 2018. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Somali boys play soccer at Liido beach in Mogadishu, Somalia May 10, 2018. REUTER/Feisal Omar Darrel, 11, scores a goal as he plays football in Riviera-Palmeraie in Abidjan, Ivory Coast May 28, 2018. REUTERS/Thierry GouegnonAbelraouf, 10, tries to save a goal in front of a goalpost painted on a wall during a soccer match in the old city of Algiers Al Casbah, Algeria May 5, 2018. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra Shir Ashkenazi, 24 (2nd L), scores a goal as she plays with friends in Tel Aviv, Israel May 22, 2018. REUTERS/Corinna Kern Asun Silas, 16, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the town of Dambai, Ghana May 14, 2018. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko Jean-Christ, 11, celebrates his goal during a football game in an area of Riviera-Palmeraie in Abidjan, Ivory Coast May 28, 2018. REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon Nassim Ammour, 11, scores a goal as he plays with friends next to the Israeli barrier in the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem, May 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ammar Awad Safe El-Din Adam, 16, celebrates after scoring a goal during a soccer game in Khartoum, Sudan May 13, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin AbdallahA Libyan boy celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal at a playground in a school destroyed by the war in the city of Benghazi, Libya May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori Kamohelo Kabi celebrates scoring his 6th goal during a soccer game at Lehae township, South-west of Johannesburg, South Africa May 21, 2018. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko Ahmed Moka, 14, scores a goal as he plays with others in a street in Ezbet Khairallah, a slum area near Cairo, Egypt May 27, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany Dvir Gelman, 12, passes the ball as he plays with other Jewish children in the Jewish settlement in Hebron, in the Israeli occupied West Bank, May 22, 2018. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun Abubakar Athman scores a penalty during a match at the "Desert Grounds" in California estate in Nairobi, Kenya May 22, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya Margaret Atieno celebrates her goal at the Ziwani grounds in Nairobi, Kenya May 27, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya Siya, 11, celebrates after scoring a goal on a strip of open ground in Du Noon township near Cape Town, South Africa May 20, 2018. REUTERS/Mike HutchingsA player from the local al-Masil team celebrates after scoring a penalty goal during a match against al-Nasim team in Marib, Yemen May 3, 2018. REUTERS/Ali Owidha A boy attempts an overhead kick to score a goal as Saudi children play football in a village south of the city of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia April 27, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Al Hwaity Michel, 13, celebrates holding up a T-shirt printed with the mask of Tutankhamun, an Egyptian pharaoh king, after scoring a goal as he plays with others outside a school in Shubra, Cairo, Egypt May 28, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany A goalkeeper attempts to save the ball at a makeshift soccer pitch near Mathare valley slums in Nairobi, Kenya May 5, 2018. REUTERS/Njeri Mwangi
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