The team from Killarney’s Kasi Immigrant Support Group clinched victory in a tense penalty shootout to claim the Sari/UNHCR Fair Play Football Cup in Dublin recently.
The fourth annual event took place on Sunday 16 June at the Law Society on Blackhall Place, ahead of World Refugee Day later in the week.
Organisers declared an “unprecedented” level of participation this year, with teams representing refugee communities across Ireland, asylum seekers, Government bodies, NGOs and organisations working in the field.
More than 160 players took park across 16 teams, hailing from countries such as the DR Congo to Myanmar, Sudan, Nigeria, Algeria, South Africa, Afghanistan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Eritrea and Serbia.
And the competition on the pitch was fierce. In the semi-finals, a young Sari team beat the Congolese Community 3-0 and Kasi – from Killarney – beat Orac, who featured young Manchester City and Ireland underage player Jack Byrne.
The final between Sari and Kasi was evenly matched and still scoreless at full time, leading to a nail-biting penalty shootout that Kasi won 6-5.
Speaking at the event, UNHCR Ireland head of office Sophie Magennis said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to bring people together who share a love of football and community.
“The enthusiasm shown by the players and spectators was really heart lifting and it reminds us of the great contribution refugees make to the countries that offer them protection.”
The event was the start to a week of initiatives to mark World Refugee Day on Thursday 20 June. This year UNHCR’s ‘1 Family’ campaign aims to remind the world that the victims of conflict are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters.
Visit unhcr.org/1family to find out more about the campaign.
