For a group of 17-odd Rohingya Muslim refugees, tucked away in a corner of south-east Delhi, playing football is not about “life and death” but avoiding that exact issue, if only for a few precious hours every weekend. With the troubles back in Myanmar and the questions over their deportation from India – a case that is currently being heard in the Supreme Court – these kids try to find solace from the beautiful game.
They call themselves the Rohingya Shining Stars and the the team has provided players to the much-larger Rohingya Football Club of India, which draws footballers from all over the country. The international Rohingya community has done something similar with the now-famous Rohingya Football club based out of Kuala Lumpur.
Playing with donated footballs and tattered shoes, the Shining Stars are a mix of young and old construction workers, factory employees, and IT technicians.
Here’s their story:
Read The Field’s Arka Bhattacharya’s feature story on the team here.
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