'We got our identity back', say refugee footballers

A football team made up of refugee players have said they feel like they have their "identity back".

Ben Maatoug, who is a personal advisor with Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, has masterminded United Players FC.

He said the players told him "we came to this country with no ID, we belong nowhere, we have no visa, no refugee status, this is the first club that we felt we got our identity back".

The refugees and asylum seekers from countries across the world have now settled in parts of Dorset and Hampshire.

Mr Maatoug previously worked as an interpreter for the young people who came to the UK to seek refuge.

He said every time he heard them "begging" to get a football team, which is why he decided to help.

"They need someone to help them, they need someone to get them to where they want to be, they are just different with different experiences, nothing wrong with them," Mr Maatoug said.

The 57-year-old said he sometimes joins in and plays alongside the younger players but conceded he still has the energy "but maybe not the technique".

Ellie Douglas, from the Virtual School with BCP Council, supports young people in care in the region with education.

She said they now have "their own space that they have control over".

Even though the players come from different backgrounds they are able to communicate well on the pitch, she said.

"The great thing about football is it's a visual language so you don't really have to know another person's language," Ms Douglas added.

Mohammed Tibo, 19, comes from Sudan, and plays as a striker for United Players FC.

He admitted the reaction from English people has been mixed since he arrived in the country.

"Some people are good, because that is life but some people are not as good," he said.

Mustafa, 19, from Afghanistan, said he left his country for his own safety.

He said leaving his family behind was difficult, adding "my father used to be my best friend".

The goalkeeper for the team said when he first joined the squad "it was nice, I don't feel like a stranger to them".

You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.