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Somalia’s rocky road to a World Cup dream

Al-Shabaab threats, unable to play at home and lack of world-class talent forced Somalia to miss out on qualification.

Please DO NOT USE/ Somalia battles to qualify for World Cup
Due to lack of sponsors, there’s not much money in Somali football, most Somali players receive low salaries and need to have a job next to their professional football career to sustain their families.[Jeroen van Loon/Al Jazeera]
By Andrea Dijkstra
Published On 14 Oct 2015

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The Somali anthem blares through the rickety old bus, zig-zagging through the streets of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Inside, Somalian football players sing along. After moving on to more popular songs, they start clapping and laughing and the team captain even starts dancing in the aisle.

The national team is on its way to an unofficial practice game against Ethiopia in the Addis Ababa Stadium.

While Somalia rebuilds itself after decades of conflict, its national football team battles to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. No other team dares to visit the Somali capital Mogadishu, since it still frequently gets attacked by Al-Shabaab. The national side is forced to play its ‘home’ matches in neighbouring Ethiopia.

To improve quality, the football federation invited four European-Somali players – three from the Netherlands and one from the UK – to join the squad.

One was born in the Netherlands but the other three were Somalia born, fleeing the country at a young age with their family and ending up in Europe. They did not even have Somali passports. But the federation arranged them at the very last minute for the referees to verify their identity.

Somalia lost the two-legged qualifier to Niger. The World Cup dream is over for now but Somalia’s struggles look set to continue on and off the football field.

Please DO NOT USE/ Somalia battles to qualify for World Cup
Team captain Hasan Ali Babay (left) fled many times during the war to the countryside when his club's football field were bombed regularly. [Jeroen van Loon/Al Jazeera]
Please DO NOT USE/ Somalia battles to qualify for World Cup
Dutch-Somali Mohamud Ali was born in the Netherlands and this is his first time in Africa. “I had to get used to the beggars and men walking around with donkeys,” he told Al Jazeera. [Jeroen van Loon/Al Jazeera]
Please DO NOT USE/ Somalia battles to qualify for World Cup
Ugandan coach Charles Livingstone Mbabazi tries to cheer up the team during the interval with the team three goals down. “You’re the best of Somalia,” he shouts in English while one Somali player translates to Somali. [Jeroen van Loon/Al Jazeera]
Please DO NOT USE/ Somalia battles to qualify for World Cup
British-Somali Ahmed Abubakar Shegow (left) comes on the field facing some language issues.“I was shouting in English to one of my team mates who had no clue what I was saying," he told Al Jazeera while smiling. [Jeroen van Loon/Al Jazeera]
Please DO NOT USE/ Somalia battles to qualify for World Cup
Dutch-Somali player Ahmed Ali hugs his team mate following a loss against Ethiopia. Though they are one team, the Somali players can’t help laughing at the weird Somali accent of their European teammates. [Jeroen van Loon/Al Jazeera]
Please DO NOT USE/ Somalia battles to qualify for World Cup
While the Somali players share rooms in their hotel in Addis Ababa, the European-Somali players have the luxury of their own private rooms. [Jeroen van Loon/Al Jazeera]
Please DO NOT USE/ Somalia battles to qualify for World Cup
“I really miss the food my mum cooks”, Dutch-Somali player Ahmed Ali, 21, (middle) told Al Jazeera. Together with two other European players he was fortunate to find a small restaurant serving healthy fruit salads. All players daily get Somali food, mostly rice and chicken, delivered by a Somali restaurant which is located 20 kilometers from the hotel. [Jeroen van Loon/Al Jazeera]
Please DO NOT USE/ Somalia battles to qualify for World Cup
“I was looking for a toilet and behind a small market I found this tiny mosque,” Dutch-Somali player Ahmed Ali (right) told Al Jazeera. Since then, he and two other Somali players pray there while in Addis Ababa. [Jeroen van Loon/Al Jazeera]
Please DO NOT USE/ Somalia battles to qualify for World Cup
The Somalian players borrow 'luxury' products like hair gel and deodorant from their European team mates. [Jeroen van Loon/Al Jazeera]
Please DO NOT USE/ Somalia battles to qualify for World Cup
The Ugandan coaches, hired by the Somalian Football Federation, reflect on the lost game. “We try to attract more Somali professionals playing abroad. Many, however, prefer to join the respective national teams though,” assistant-coach James Magala (left) told Al Jazeera. [Jeroen van Loon/Al Jazeera]