Refugee World Cup

Iraq team - Bay Area Refugee World Cup 2010 (Photo: The IRC)

“Wherever you are in the world, no matter how poor or troubled you are, there is always soccer. You can play it anywhere and we love it," says Ali Kareem, 32.  "Soccer gives us something in common. We all want to win, but mostly we just want to play." A refugee from Iraq who resettled in Northern California with help from the International Rescue Committee, Ali has been doing more than just counting down to this week’s kickoff of the FIFA World Cup. He’s also been sharing his passion for soccer by coaching a team of Iraqi players who competed last weekend in the Bay Area Refugee World Cup in Oakland. The tournament, jointly organized by the IRC and Soccer Without Borders, brought together more than 80 refugees from Iraq, Bhutan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Myanmar. "Soccer is really an international tie for these guys. To integrate into this country and this culture is so hard for these refugees to do," says John Hollis, who works with the IRC in San Francisco and helped to organize the games. "But for these guys to come out and do something they already know how to do, which is to play soccer, it's a really nice confidence boost for them." You can read more about Ali — and find out which team won the Refugee World Cup — at Fanhouse. Listen to KQED's interview with Ali and John here. See action shots from the tournament in The Bay Citizen's slideshow [gallery]