Barawa 4-9

 

Unknown Players
vs. Surrey (1:3) | Friendly | 2018 in Surrey

Squad Picture
vs. Carlton Cole XI (3:3) | Friendly | 2018 in England

Line-Up
vs. Kernow (0:5) | Friendly | 2019 in Cornwall

 

Match picture
vs. Chagos Islands (2:2, 4:5 pens) | WUFA World Series | 2021 in England

I have written a lot about Barawa, the city in Somalia, the people and the representative side that hosted the 2018 World Football Cup in London before. So let me just reiterate that the legend behind this team, Haji Munye Haji, is one of the nicest and most humble and inspiring human beings I ever came across. I am genuinely grateful that I got to know then and do hope that our paths will cross again one day - somewhere between my city of Cologne, his hometown of London or even in Barawa.

Today, the Barawa FA project is almost certainly over. With the downfall of CONIFA and the staggering start of WUFA, an organisation meant to be its successor, there simpy is no good platform for them anymore. Yet, I do hope that they somehow carry one, as the football world really needs guys like those.

Lately, a friend of mine (not Haji) sent me all the Barawa shirts he still had. I also bought a couple of more shirts myself over time, so this is basically a full Barawa collection. I am only missing a single shirt in the history of the Barawa FA - the 2018 World Football Cup home shirt. While the last three shirts here, the Stingz ones, were all sold to me by Stingz itself, the two older AMS shirts here are matchworn. And yes, they have played without a number in a friendly once. If that collection of shirts does proof anything than it is that even a small amateur team can have beautiful, bespoke football shirts, if they choose the right manufacturer. That used to be AMS, before Stingz filled that gap. While I cannot credit AMS, given that the owner of AMS is also the largest producer of fake international shirts in the world, I have to give kudos to Stingz. What they are doing for the last 5 or so years is simply outstanding. Stingz, if you read that - carry on!