Turkish Bursaspor club supports refugee team in Kenya

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Turkish football club Bursaspor, through the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) on Tuesday donated football merchandise to support Kakuma United -- locally known as the Green Crocodiles football team.

Working with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), TIKA handed merchandise to the team of refugees from different sub-Sharan nations.

South Sudanese national Abraham Luol, who plays for the Green Crocodiles, said football unites all refugees from different nationalities at the Kakuma refugee camp in northwest Kenya.

“I would like to show a sign of gratitude to Bursaspor for the donation, of course,” said Luol. “It is of much help to us. There are many challenges here in Kakuma. We are not able to afford such uniforms. We owe them a lot so I would just like to say thank you,” he said.

TIKA Nairobi coordinator Emre Yuksek said: “The merchandise was graciously accepted by Kakuma United players, who appreciated the recognition of their talents by professional players.” He was Bursaspor was invited to Kenya for a friendly match which would help exchange experiences and an opportunity to learn.