It’s hard for children who have to flee their home country and make a life in another. But sometimes sport can make the difference. Pauline Diamond reports.

It’s a dream young boys across the world cherish. For most of them, playing football for their country will remain an idle fantasy but for Islam Feruz from Somalia, the far-fetched dream has become a reality. But Islam doesn’t play for Somalia – he plays for Scotland.

The 14-year-old player is one of a growing number of professional footballers that came to the UK seeking refuge from persecution and violence. As well as showcasing their skills on the pitch, Islam and players like him are showing thousands of fans the range of talents that refugees bring with them when they come here. But while many may envy Islam’s inclusion in the Scotland squad, his journey from Somalia to northern Britain has not been easy.

Somalia is one of the world’s most dangerous countries. Almost 20 years of conflict between rival factions and clans, combined with cycles of drought and flooding, have bequeathed a humanitarian emergency. Around 1.4 million Somalis have been displaced from their homes and a further half a million live as refugees in neighbouring countries around the Horn of Africa.

Islam’s family fled the continued violence and sought asylum in the UK. When they arrived seven years ago, immigration authorities moved them to Glasgow, home to the UK’s largest asylum-seeking population outside London. Uprooted from all that was familiar, the family tried to get used to their new inner-city surroundings. Islam joined the local school, and it wasn’t long before a talent scout spotted his football skills. Despite his very different background, Islam found new friends among Celtic FC’s youth team and in October 2009 was called up for the national Scotland under-17 squad. Within weeks he’d scored his first international goal.

“I have been very proud to live in Scotland,” says Islam. “It’s a great country which is now my home and I am very proud to wear the Scotland jersey. I’ll be working hard to do all I can to do my best for Scotland and to make the most of this opportunity.”

Islam is the first player to represent Scotland under a change to the FIFA eligibility rule, designed to include refugees in the national sport. The new rule states that a player who holds a British passport and has been educated for at least five years in one of the home nations is eligible to play for that country. The rule change, which affects all UK national teams, was initiated by the chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, Gordon Smith.

“I proposed the new eligibility rules to reflect the changes to our society in recent years,” explains Smith. “If a child comes to live and settle in Scotland for whatever reason, whether they be an immigrant or an asylum-seeker, why should they not be welcomed and be made to feel Scottish in this country? We feel that it’s unfair to exclude so many young people who have come to this country, grown up here, gone through their education here, played their football at Scottish clubs, and who feel Scottish.”

Smith believes it’s time to recognise the contributions of the many nationalities that make up the UK and he hopes the new rules will promote social inclusion in football and outside the sport.

Another young player to benefit from the rule change is Saido Berahino (pictured left). Currently impressing fans in Birmingham, where he plays for West Bromwich Albion’s under- 18 squad, 16-year-old Saido is a refugee from Burundi, one of the world’s poorest countries.

The east African country has been plagued by brutal ethnic violence since the mid 1990s. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled, seeking refuge in neighbouring Tanzania as well as further afield. While his mother began the long process of seeking asylum in the UK, Saido lived with his dad in Burundi until his father’s death in 1997. For the next six years he lived as a refugee in Tanzania until his mother, settled in Birmingham, heard that her application for asylum had been successful. She sent for her son, and he began a new life in Birmingham with his mother.

One of the first things she did was look for a football team for her football-mad boy to join. Saido signed up with West Brom’s youth academy at the age of 11, and soon proved himself a valuable member of the squad and a prolific goal scorer. He is now tipped for a career in the English Premier League. After everything he’s experienced and achieved, Saido has one remaining ambition. “I want to play for England and go on to win the World Cup,” he says.

While Islam and Saido’s achievements provide inspiration for young football fans, their skills and dedication – and their promotion by clubs – help to challenge negative beliefs about refugees and members of new communities in the UK. With its millions of fans across the country, football is a powerful platform on which to showcase refugees’ skills, and clubs are keen to use their influence to challenge racism and promote diversity.

“Football has a very important part to play in promoting equality,” says Scott Field of the Football Association. “It is naturally diverse and as the world’s most popular sport, it’s in a powerful position to challenge discrimination, including racism in whatever form it takes both on and off the pitch, and to champion inclusion through football.”

The Football Association is a keen supporter of work to eradicate discrimination and to promote respect and tolerance within the game, including encouraging teams to welcome refugees onto to their squads.

In 2007, Watford fans showed how much they valued a refugee member of their team. Their midfield player, Alhassan Bangura of Sierra Leone, had his asylum claim revoked when he turned 18 and faced being returned to west Africa.

Alhassan had arrived in London at the age of 15. An unaccompanied minor, he was a victim of human trafficking, having fled the bloody clan rivalries in his home country. While playing football in a park, he was spotted by a talent scout and joined Watford’s youth squad in 2004. He soon rose through the ranks, playing for the Hertfordshire team in the Premier League.

Although Alhassan had been granted asylum, his legal status changed when he turned 18 and he faced being forced to return to Sierra Leone. Fearing for his life in his home country, he appealed against the decision and received passionate support from his club and fans. Watford fans staged a half-time demonstration during a game against Plymouth Argyle. The entire stadium, including rival Argyle fans, held up posters of Alhassan’s face with the words “he’s family” written beneath. Alhassan’s appeal to remain in the UK was successful and two years later, now playing for Blackpool, he says he’ll never forget the support of the Hertfordshire fans and the welcome he received in England.

Last year the manager of the Sierra Leone national squad called Alhassan up for international duty. While he played a number of away matches for the team, he was unable to represent his country in games held in Sierra Leone. He still feared his life would be in danger if he returned to the land of his birth. It is a reminder that, although refugees may be granted safety in the UK, the problems and conflicts that forced them to flee their homes often remain unresolved.

Islam, Saido and Alhassan’s talents and commitment to their teams show just how much refugees have to contribute. Their achievements remind fans that, despite their differences, refugees share the same hopes and dreams as they do.

As Islam prepares once more to don the navy blue shirt of Scotland, young boys across the country can continue to dream of overcoming the odds and one day playing for their country.

Lomania Lualua

Lualua came to the UK as a refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

He played for several English teams including Newcastle United and Portsmouth, and captained the DRC national squad. He currently plays in Qatar.

Lorik Cana

Captain of Sunderland and midfielder for the Albanian national team.

Born in Kosovo, Cana’s Albanian family fled the troubled region when he was seven and sought political asylum in Switzerland.

Pedram Ardalany

Ardalany and his father fled political tensions in Iran and sought asylum in the UK when he was 15.

He was signed by Scottish First Division club Partick Thistle, where fans labelled him the ‘Iranian Pele’.

Mario Stanic

Former midfielder with Chelsea, Stanic is a Bosnian refugee. Just as his football career took off in the early 1990s, widespread persecution of ethnic minorities in his home country forced him to seek refuge abroad.