Refugee players score goals and build bridges
The beautiful game - known the world over for bringing people together. It has been helping Serhii Pohrebniak find his feet... in a foreign land. Because in Ukraine, football isn't just a sport. It's a way of life. "My hobby was a lot of sports, like street sports, football, soccer, yeah, because it's very popular in Ukraine. All children, after school, go to the street and play football.' When war broke out in Ukraine, Serhii was backpacking in Sri Lanka. He hasn't returned since. He says Australia was unfamiliar to him… and a little bit frightening. "My first memory was that I was scared of snakes... to not bite me. Because all information what I read about Australia, it's a lot of snakes and spiders." While Serhii has built a life here with his wife — the trauma of war lingers. Friends and family remain in a country still under siege. "You live like two different lives. Here and in Ukraine. Because a lot of times, my mind is in Ukraine — I speak with my friends, I read the news. And it's every time, I'm here, I'm in Ukraine, I'm here, I'm in Ukraine...yeah." Serhii is one of more than 11 and a half thousand Ukrainians granted a visa since Russia's invasion began in 2022 — though the Australian Government's temporary humanitarian visa offer has now expired. Anne Aly is the Minister for Multiculural Affairs: "We have a humanitarian settlement program and our humanitarian settlement program is for the first years in which someone from a refugee background comes to Australia, it provides them with necessary support to start a life here in Australia including trauma-informed support where that has been necessary." And Serhii's story is just one of many being shared at the Freedom Cup. The tournament has become Western Australia's largest celebration of refugee resilience and cultural pride. Twelve teams representing countries like Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar, Ukraine and West Papua faced off. Ally Paolino is the acting Regional Director for the Department of Home Affairs "This is one of the best parts of the job — where we can come together. It's a real celebration and collaboration across all tiers of government, service providers and community." When Serhii arrived in Australia, all he had was a blue suitcase. Now — he has a place to call home, and a community standing beside him. "It doesn't matter which passport, doesn't matter which language — I believe this world is for all the people." In a world often divided by conflict and difference… this is a celebration of unity, pride and humanity.
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