Saturday, June 3, 2017

Racism, poverty: Istanbul's African footballers risk it all

Bertrand-Joseph Ndong’s team before a friendly match in Ferikoy stadium, Istanbul, Turkey (MEE/Thomas Lecomte)--Bertrand-Joseph Ndong’s players during their daily training in Kurtulus (MEE/Thomas Lecomte)
Alex Epome used to play in a first division club in Cameroon (MEE/Thomas Lecomte)--Victor Nnah Nathan Ejekwu landed in Turkey in 2014 for a test match but was cheated by a shady agent (MEE/Thomas Lecomte)
Jeremie Berlioux's picture
Jeremie Berlioux-Thomas Lecomte-Friday 2 June 2017

ISTANBUL, Turkey - “My father gave me all his savings to help me come to Istanbul. He knows I am good at football and the whole community is watching me,” says Alex Epome, a 17-year-old footballer from Cameroon.