By Midfielder
November 14th 2009 @ 2:15am
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Remarkable story of Socceroo hopeful Popal
The Blacktown Advocate have been running a remarkable story over the last two weeks about a young refuge called Khalil Popal who has just signed with Panthrakikos F.C, one of Europe’s largest clubs.
It tells the story of a young refuge who has seen many awful sights, from rags to riches, to playing for Panthrakikos F.C.
And the BBC are going to do a documentary about him. Soon he could be the best know Australian sportsman in the world, yet he is unheard of in Australia.
He loves Australia with a passion and calls the beach the golden soil. He lived in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, and could not go to school for fear of it being bombed. Khalil says he would love to help other refuges and tell them how great Australia is.
How could the local media have missed this?
News Ltd, in particular, should hang its head in shame as they have had the story for over two weeks, and aside from the local paper, it has not made into the mainstream media.
Is it because it’s an immigrant doing well and exceeding beyond anything he could have dreamed of? Why has this football story been ignored, even through the BBC plan do a documentary on him?
Bravo Blacktown Advocate and bravo Khalil Popal. I hope you play for the Socceroos.
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(19)
David said | November 14th 2009 @ 8:20am | Report comment
wow really Pana FC there a good club how old is this kid? what position does he play?
dasilva said | November 14th 2009 @ 8:35am | Report comment
Thank you midfielder for telling about Popal
It’s a great migrant and refugee story and I sadly haven’t heard about it. Unfortunately refugee success stories aren’t very sexy right now.
Let’s hope he succeeds in Europe
however, I’m wondering does he have to jump hoops to play for Australia similar to Kofi Danning
After all the rules state that if you aren’t born here in Australia and you haven’t got Australian parents then you have to live in the country for 5 years after the age of 18 before you are eligible to play for the socceroos.
My opinion of this rule is well known but let’s hope common sense prevails again.
Macs.football said | November 14th 2009 @ 8:47am | Report comment
Why have the local media not reported this?
1. He’s an immigrant
2. He plays football.
dasilva said | November 14th 2009 @ 8:54am | Report comment
Add refugee to that list
cab711 said | November 14th 2009 @ 8:49am | Report comment
Beautiful story, comes as no surprise though. Only Kiwi refugees hate Australia.
K B said | November 14th 2009 @ 9:24am | Report comment
Midfielder,
that’s a very nice little human interest sorry — well done to bring it to the attention of the Roar posters…
~~~~~~~
KB
Midfielder said | November 14th 2009 @ 9:39am | Report comment
Thanks guys for the comments .. if you have not read the links at the opening ..I suggest you do especially the remarkable link… just such a great story ….
Many moons ago I was a consultant to News at their Parrmatta local ..Cimberland Newspapers… they have huge printning facilities there and print a number of local papers… But many News jurno’s drop in and work from their … and always the latest newspapers are always on display and within the News family many News people meet and chat discuss issues etc… It beggers disbelief that the Terror or OZ folk well at least some would not have seen this story … like if the BBC know about it then wow we don’t…
But it kinda goes beyonf that we have our troops in Afghanistan… if the Commonwealth Government ever wanted a PR story … then it’s this kid … but is he two successful and would this play into the hands of the let everybody in group …
Assuming you read the remarkable link… he talks of the goldern soil.. the beach .. how Aussie can you get… and he loves the Green & Gold, loves Australia, wants to help other refuges learn to love Australia…
If this is not a front page mainstream newspaper story and a leading TV News story … and topic for the TV morning shows … then what the hell is..
I hope Khalil gets to play for the Socceroos … I will do everything I can to shake his hand and get him to sign my shirt…
Freud of Football said | November 14th 2009 @ 7:08pm | Report comment
Mid, I was in America during the 2004 elections and didn’t find out about until the boxing day tsunami (the one that killed 230,000 people) until a week later when I managed to get myself on to a computer. The news was full of the election and something that huge didn’t get mentioned.
The priorities of journo’s and editor’s are not those of the people.
whiskeymac said | November 14th 2009 @ 9:40am | Report comment
yeah agree. good story and well worth championing. similar to the kid from WA who has signed with Bayern (development team level) who is also an immigrant refugee but doing a rag-riches footy story that was in the paper recently. Julius Davies. these kind of stories are great reading and can only wish the kids all the best in their careers, and hopefully they reach socceroo levels too!
whiskeymac said | November 14th 2009 @ 9:51am | Report comment
as an aside – he’s 21, a western sydney local since he was fairly young (was it 12 or 13 i cant remember) and obviously talented having represented Aus at beach football level… pity that SFC or another HAL club didn’t have any scouts/ contacts looking at him. am oping that Wanderers might tap into this market a bit more effectively – how many other Popals or Davies are being “missed”?
Midfielder said | November 14th 2009 @ 10:44am | Report comment
Agree on the A-League teams… also how has SBS missed this story … maybe not South Amercian
westy said | November 14th 2009 @ 9:55am | Report comment
midfielder great human interest story. Not only News limited but all the press. A Current Affair or Seven’s counterpart Today tonight would also do well to have a positive news refugee story.Even SBS might be interested?
keep the good fight going.
gazz said | November 14th 2009 @ 2:27pm | Report comment
yo David, Panthrakikos, not Panathinaikos. both Super League clubs though, but ones a relegation battlers, the other is a regular title contender. big difference, just wanted to clear that up.
still great story for this young fella, all the best to him.
Midfielder said | November 15th 2009 @ 11:30am | Report comment
gazz
Thanks for that .. my bad …
Gibbo said | November 16th 2009 @ 10:08am | Report comment
Its a shame the ‘refugee come good’ story this month is Bangs, the footscray based sudanese refugee “rapper”, complete with open derision and thinly veiled racism…
So where does Popal play on the park? Anyone know anything about him as a player?
Ben of Phnom Penh said | November 17th 2009 @ 6:52pm | Report comment
Great article, Midfielder. It’s nice to have some perspective now and then.
Griffo said | November 17th 2009 @ 7:51pm | Report comment
Ditto the great article. Hope he gets off to a flying start and gets on Pim’s or whoever’s radar sooner than later. Plenty of refugees who just kick the ball around all day. Gold Coast United signed up a player doing just this. Goldmine in our own backyard and we can’t be bothered looking.
albatross said | November 18th 2009 @ 7:33am | Report comment
The editor and writers of the Blacktown Advocate (a Murdoch giveaway) deserve great kudos. The paper carries many excellent news stories (not just advertorial) with a local focus and in particular has been at the forefront of promoting a positive view of multiculturalism in the city through articles such as this and some wonderful photography for a number of years.
Lest Pip and Michael C be concerned the front page story of the 11th November issue carried the headline “Sheedy swoops” with a big photo of some old codger punching what appears to be an ovoid red melon (it can’t be a football because he was using his hands)..
Gweeds said | November 23rd 2009 @ 3:52pm | Report comment
The only part of the story that doesn’t quite gels with me is how a refugee from Kabul who lives in Blacktown managed to spend a year playing soccer in Brazil?