Deportation?

Salzburg footballers fear for Sajaad (20)

He has lived here for nine years, has integrated perfectly - now the Iraqi is threatened with forced return. Friends are horrified. 

What will happen to him? Sajaad Al Robaye has no answer to that. "All I can do at the moment is wait," says the 20-year-old sadly. The native Iraqi has been living in an asylum center for a few days now - after he had to leave Salzburg in a cloak-and-dagger operation. "I want to go back so badly," he says in utter despair.

But the young man is threatened with deportation. Sajaad's mother has now even had to leave the asylum center in Thalheim and the police have taken her to Vienna. "I have no idea what will happen to her now." Both are still waiting for their asylum application to be processed. "Waiting, always waiting," sighs Sajaad.

Iraqi last played for USC Eugendorf
The Iraqi has lived in Salzburg since 2015. Together with his stepfather and mother, he came to Austria via Syria and Turkey. "My dad was a policeman. After he died, we were threatened and had to flee," says the 20-year-old. His mother wanted to build a new life for herself in Syria, started working and met a new man. Then the war broke out. "It was no longer safe there," says Sajaad.

Once he arrived in Salzburg, he discovered his love of soccer. The teenager played in several teams, most recently in the reserve team of USC Eugendorf. He worked as a youth soccer coach in Mattsee - and was part of a passionate group of amateur footballers. "He's a nice guy, well integrated and a totally social person. We'd love to help him, but how?" his friend Alfred Dworschak is at a loss. After all: "We want to pick Sajaad up on Sunday and play soccer together."