Karachi: It’s a long way from the Bernabeu, but on a dusty pitch in a Karachi slum, a group of scrawny Pakistani boys in the famous white shirt of Real Madrid tear around after a football.
An academy backed by the Real Madrid Foundation opened in March in one of the oldest parts of Pakistan’s sprawling, violent metropolis.
For youngsters like 13-year-old Mohammad Ashraf, who endure tough lives, it has brought rare moments of pleasure — and dreams of glory.
“I told my mother and then everyone in the house that we played football and everyone is happy for me,” an excited Ashraf recalled of his first day at the academy.
Like most inhabitants of the area Ashraf’s father struggles to make a living from fishing.
Many local children are malnourished, few have more than the most basic education and most are expected to start work at an early age, repairing fishing nets.
Opportunities for fun are limited and so the football academy — operated by the local charity AmanSports — is a ray of sunshine.
The Spanish giants support academies all over the world through their foundation, with the aim of promoting the values of sport and education.
AmanSports last year convinced them to open a centre in Karachi, and the Real Madrid Foundation provided equipment and training for coaches.
Khowaja Obaid, head of AmanSports, said running an academy linked to one of the world’s biggest clubs was a big challenge.
“There were sceptics who were not sure why we were doing this,” said Obaid, who along with his colleague Myra Khan went to Madrid to get training on coaching.
“The idea was to bring the best practice from around the world and give children access to sports, and Real Madrid is the biggest name that is out there in football in the world,” he said.
In Pakistan cricket is king, though football is popular in parts of Karachi and southwestern Baluchistan province.
Few of the children at the academy were aware of Real’s pedigree when they joined, but all recognised one name — the Portuguese talisman Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I like Ronaldo because he scores fast goals and has done well for his club and country and I am proud of him,” said 14-year-old Mohammad Afzal.
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