Khalil Popal, a 21 year old Afgani refugee living in Sydney, signed a soccer contract with Greek club Panthrakikos F.C. last month, making him the first-ever Afghan-born person to play first-division soccer in Europe. A high school graduate from the state of New South Wales Australia, Popal has been playing football for 14 years.
Until he was 12, Popal lived in war-torn Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, where, because of the danger he wouldn’t attend school and television & radio were luxuries. “Because we had no soccer ball and because we had to play inside, we would take a T-shirt, roll it up and tie it together tightly with string to make the ball, while we used shoes for the goals.’’Khalil describes.
His family escaped to Australia in 2001, where Popal was recruited in the youth leagues and competed in Futsal competitions.
He spent 2007 playing for Brazil’s Futsal Olympico and Atletico Mineiro clubs, and eventually made the Australian beach football team.
In August this year, Popal was flown over to trial with Panthrakikos’s second-division side, after they viewed the resume that he had sent them. He impressed club officials so much they immediately signed him up to the first-division team.
He is travelling to the Asian Beach Football Championships in Dubai this week where the team has the chance to qualify for the world championships, also in Dubai a week later.
On conclusion of his beach football duties, Popal will return to Greece, where he has media crews anxiously waiting to talk to him. He has signed a preliminary one-year contract with Panthrakikos, where he will get a car, accommodation and a six-figure salary.
Popal featured in the McDonald’s advertisement for the 2006 World Cup and the BBC is planning to make a documentary on his life.
“It’s not possible for me to balance two balls on one foot, so it’s the green and gold who I am proud to represent.’’ Popal says about his Australian citizenship.
Sources: blacktown-advocate.whereilive.com.au, khalilpopal.blogspot.com
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