As Alhassan Bangura looked around Vicarage Road Stadium he saw himself. Throughout the stands home and away fans held up signs of support for the young man from Sierra Leone. Signs with a big picture of Bangura’s face. Al choked up as he tried to address the crowd and there is no one who could blame him.
In a time when athletes are both revered and reviled by fans, Alhassan Bangura’s plight has brought out the very best in a community. Hornets manager Aidy Boothroyd took the opportunity at a weekly press conference to bring the story to a wide audience. Boothroyd is a good manager, but his passionate telling of his young player’s story showed him to be a great human being. He’s not just concerned with his players doing well on the field, he is also concerned with their well being off it. Watford chairman Graham Simpson has also been very supportive of Al and his cause.
For those who don’t know what is going on in Watford here’s a quick rundown. Bangura is from Sierra Leone. A country in a state of constant civil war. A place where people with machetes do unspeakable things to people. At fifteen Bangura escaped his homeland and made his way to England in the hopes of having a career in football. However, the Frenchman that had helped him turned out to be a trafficker in humans who was interested in selling Alhassan into the sex trade. Al was able to escape and eventually found his home in football. After four years as a productive citizen he faces deportation because even though he is from a country known for atrocities, Britain does not grant asylum automatically to those who flee in fear of their lives. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that after hearing about Bangura’s situation the community gathered 5,000 signatures on a petition to grant him a work permit hearing. Labour MP Claire Ward has taken up the case and has brokered a meeting with Home Office minister Liam Byrne and Al’s lawyers have been working the process to bring the case to the tribunal that would grant him a work permit. So it looks like there are two options for him.
This situation shows football fans at their best. In a country known for rabid, ruthless supporters, Bangura has gotten backing from non-Watford fans as well as the home crowd. Kudos to all who’ve voiced their support.
