Welcome to another segment of the Alvarez Galloso News Hour. I have invited Sarkhell Nawroly of the Kurd Star FC to be interviewed. For me, it is a pleasure to have Mr. Nawroly and the Kurd Stars in this segment of the news hour dedicated to sports especially football.
1.What was the reason for the formation of the Kurd Stars Football Team?
To show that the Kurds are a nation, as well as others, to participate in sports and communicate with other nations and to integrate with different societies in London, as London is a perfect place to achieve this.
It is a fact that the Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world without their own state. The estimated number of Kurdish population is about 40million spread across four countries; Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria.
So this club is somehow uniting the Kurds from all the four parts. By this, Kurdish from all the different parts of Kurdish land can participate in this project. Hopefully this will be a ground that one day our dreams will come true in our home land.
2.In what year did the Kurd Stars Football Team join the Premier Division [Sunday PM] of the London AFA Team?
I established Kurd Stars as a sports project on the 10th of Sep 2005 in London.
In the same year we registered our football club with the London AFA to participate in football league; this is a record in Kurdish history that we are the first football club to play officially in London league.
Our main aim is to make a bridge between all sportsmen and sportswomen together to participate in sports activities outside the Kurdish land, to consequently introduce them to the Kurdistan Olympic Committee of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq.
3.What are the measures being taken to unite Kurdish Athletes to become a part of the Kurdistan Olympic Team and in the case of football players, The Kurdistan Football Association?
We are going to put the profiles of sportsmen and sportswomen on our website, I have introduced Kurd Stars project to the head of Kurdistan FA (Safin Kanabi) and the sport minister (Taha Barwary) of (KRG) - Iraq, so by this we can facilitate introducing the sports people to the right people in the future. For example looking for a coach in certain type of sport should be effortless this way. In addition providing them with sport conferences or ask them to participate in Olympic team representing Kurdistan.
4. What is the importance in having a good character and sporting ability?
It is human nature and in their genetic to be competitive with things in nature as well as all other living creatures to continue living.
We human beings are all messengers on the earth, wanting to pass our massage to the rest and show our abilities in different ways and to prove it that we are the best or record our name in history by breaking records, in the past and unfortunately still now war, terror has been a way of passing it, some claim that they are messenger of God.
In the Roman empire’s stadium was a place of heroes of wining their lives by killing their opponent, but as World Wars invented football as other way of proving abilities between soldiers, so sport abilities makes a person or a nation alive.
Things are slowly changed from war and terror to friendly competitions in sports and art, alongside with good character as we are going to civilize the world as an individual and as nations want communications and relationships, so sports alongside with art are the nicest language to do so with a good manager and character as it makes the sportsman or sportswomen as an icon or symbol for the whole world, so a good character could change the world faster, a top goal soccer in the world cup might have more effect on the society than a speech of any president.
5. Will Kurdistan eventually apply to join FIFA? What would be the obstacles facing Kurdistan if it attempts to join FIFA?
Hope this dream will come true, but unfortunately (in the case of Iraqi Kurdistan) we are still a part of Iraq. This was my question to the head of Kurdistan FA, and his reply was that, it is not possible as we are not a country as Kurdistan.
So, this reminds me of putting nations without country in a corner, as it is same as what applies to United Nation (UN), as from its name, but our nation haven’t got a seat in the UN as we are not a country.
6. In Miami, there is a football club called Miami FC. Have the Kurd Stars ever thought of playing exhibition games in the USA including Miami Florida?
This type of communication or competitive match is quite interesting and challenging.
In the past, we have been visiting other places in the UK to play with other Kurdish teams and encourage them to join a competitive league in their cities which they live in and to make a
our network wider, meanwhile making friends thought sports is easier and simpler and fun.
But we haven’t been able to go to Europe yet, although many Kurdish teams invited us from Sweden, Germany and Holland.
When I visited Kurdistan of Iraq last summer, I joined a team and they are willing to carry Kurd Stars name to be part of our club, essentially to have branch over there.
So of course any invitation from a team will make us happy, especially from Miami and Florida. We will be over the moon.
7. Besides designing two kits for the Ararat Football Club in Kurdistan of Iraq, what other acts of charity has the Kurd Stars been involved in?
My brother, Rawand Nawroly (www.nawroly-design.com), is a website designer, he dedicated the official emblem of Kurdistan FA, and designed Kurd Stars website and our football kits, but the cost of the kits were taken care off by The Ararat FC back home, and we showed our appreciation through our website by thanking them.
Any Kurd Stars activities are of non profit, the first two years my brother and I took care of the finances of running the club and the third year is on other two dearest members (Sabur and Zozek) and with some optional voluntary income from the rest of members.
And I want to mention about our coach Kinan Midhad Kadir (www.kanan-m.com) whose spent about 30years in Europe, he has studied football in Sweden, so he is also voluntarily helping Kurdistan FA by opening coaching courses as he is qualified to give coaching certificates, and through him some invitation for coaches from Kurdistan to the UK to take up short course have been arranged. But things have been going slower as there are still obstacles with visa clearance to enter the UK.
So we are here to make things easy to improve Kurdish sport forward.
8. What other countries have the Kurd Stars played in besides the UK and Kurdistan?
Hope we will be able to play one day. None yet. Hope one day
9. The Kurd Stars Next Game is against Hollywood on 6-I-2008, the Sevenths on 20-I-2008, and the Barnet Eagles on 27-I-2008. What are the possibilities of victories or draws?
The Kurd Stars aims in this are to put 100% effort in both on and off the pitch, so that is why we never think about losing, and we never give up till the last whistle, but we are struggling fanatically. As a result we can’t afford to have training pitch to train on, so that is why we are not doing so well with results at the moment.
It has been stated by our opponents and the referees that we have always played with our hearts and are very skilful and deserve to be on top, but we have been beaten by teams who have better fitness, which is a shame, so hopefully finding a sponsor will help.
10. For people who want to play professional football, what advice would you give them?
Practice .. Practice .. Practice..
Never give up a practicing, never think that you failed to do or you think that you not doing well at it or you think that is your weakest side. Do it over and over till you make it right, don’t move on to next practice or exercise till you get it right.
Our contact:
www.kurdstars.com
info@kurdstars.com
For me, it was a pleasure to have interviewed you. It is hoped that we could repeat this experience. I for one will add Kurd Stars to my link in the Alvarez Galloso News Hour. Thank You for your time.
Roberto