Local t-shirt manufacturer allows Burundi soccer team to play in Unity Cup

by Anne Marie Weiss-Armush of DFW International

Three hours before the scheduled game between Burundi and Kenya, part of the DFW African Unity Cup, the captain of the team of refugees from Burundi (formed of youth who survived the Huttu/Tutsi massacres and spent 5 years in a refugee camp) called me to say that as they had no uniforms, many of the members of the team were embarrassed to appear before the well-equipped players representing the other African countries. As coordinator of the Festival and the Cup, I had tried to obtain uniforms and shoes for the refugees from a national sponsor, but was unsuccessful. Ten minutes later, I learned that they had decided to withdraw from the tournament.

At the field, I conferenced with our three soccer coordinators: Kiros Selassie (Ethiopia), Hisham Awadelkariem (Sudan) and Alie Patrick Koroma (Sierra Leone). Where can we get some uniforms, even simple t-shirts or borrowed shirts, I asked? Hisham was about to offer his team's 'backup set' when Kiros, who owns a small business, had a great idea. He left immediately for his workshop, where he created black t-shirts for the refugee team, decorating them with the flag of Burundi.

I called the Burundi team coordinator, and he promised to try to communicate with his players, who live in Euless and areas close to the airport. As it was late and they had a long drive, we were not sure they would be able to participate. According to the game rules established by the captains of the 13 participating teams, the games must begin within 15 minutes of the starting time. However, to enable the refugee team to regroup and play the game against the Kenyan team, Hisham and Alie delayed the starting whistle. The Burundians played proudly, wearing a a mixture of second hand clothes but sporting new black t-shirts made only an hour earlier, and the game ended in a tie.

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