Since he can remember, Mikiale Tsegay has dedicated his life to becoming a professional footballer. But he’s had to face some of the toughest challenges imaginable. Since arriving in England from Ethiopia in 2021, he’s been moved around the country and in and out of temporary housing. He’s twice been forced out onto the streets. Will the Homeless Football World Cup change his life?
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00:00Since he can remember, Mikele Tsegaye has dedicated his life to becoming a footballer.
00:10But he's had to face some of the toughest challenges imaginable.
00:15Since arriving in England from Ethiopia in 2021, he's been moved around the country and
00:20in and out of temporary housing.
00:23He's twice been forced out onto the streets.
00:26I'm sleeping in a park in King Cross, it's very hard, but I'm not the only one.
00:32Many young people you find in King Cross, in many parks, they're waiting for housing.
00:39It's very frustrating and very annoying, but it's just how the system works.
00:45You have to wait and then once they give you, you take the chance.
00:49But it's more I have to do it by myself.
00:52Despite being apart from his family and living with constant uncertainty, Mikele keeps his
00:57sport at the heart of his life.
00:59Football is always helping me to avoid my anxiety, my everything.
01:04Make me focus on playing football.
01:06Make me focus on my life.
01:08His determination is clear, but can someone without a home really make football his life?
01:14Mikele still thinks so and will soon travel to the Homeless World Cup.
01:19He has become used to overcoming the toughest challenges.
01:31In 2020, his home city of Adwa came under siege in a civil war between the Ethiopian
01:36National Defence Forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front.
01:41Mikele and his family were bystanders when the war reached their home town.
01:46We were not ready for this.
01:48We were in the city.
01:49We just do our daily lives.
01:52And then suddenly they come shooting.
01:54They kill my friends, they kill...
01:56A lot of my friends killed.
01:58What they did is beyond words.
02:01You can't believe.
02:03Still, in my mind, when I remember it, I couldn't even sleep, you know.
02:08An estimated 600,000 people died in the war, including one of Mikele's brothers.
02:14And some of his cousins.
02:16Millions more were displaced.
02:18Mikele was one of those.
02:20He took a perilous crossing from Ethiopia to Europe on a smuggler's boat,
02:24before ending up in the infamous Kale Refugee Camp, known as the jungle.
02:29Eventually, after countless attempts, he crossed the channel to England.
02:34It was really scary.
02:37I never thought I was going to be out from the ocean.
02:39There is no explanation for this.
02:41I can't tell you how I went through this.
02:43It's by God's protection.
02:46Though he felt he had to take any chance to leave, Mikele still longs for his homeland.
02:53I miss it so much, too much.
02:56I miss my friends, I miss my family.
03:00Everything in the country, my city, I really miss it.
03:06Three years on from his departure, and with asylum finally granted,
03:10Mikele is now looking forward.
03:12He has a room in a supported accommodation house in North London,
03:16and is enjoying life in England.
03:18He has been welcomed into the Ethiopian community in the city,
03:21and found plenty of friends through football.
03:24The people are very nice, very kind.
03:27They always try to help you the best.
03:29If you want food, they will give you food.
03:32They always try to help you the best.
03:34If you want football, if you want education,
03:37this kind of system is very helpful for the refugees like me.
03:41This is why I really appreciate this country.
03:44Even in the tough times, he never stopped following his dream.
03:48Mikele was in the youth team of one of Ethiopia's top clubs.
03:52For me, football is like my life.
03:54Since I was a kid, I just love football.
03:57And my teachers, my coaches, they always tell my father,
04:01don't let him stop. He's too talented. He's very good.
04:05The big stadium of the city is close to our house.
04:08After school, I put my bag and then go play in the stadium.
04:14And then, yeah, it was like easy for me to play football.
04:20Since coming to England, he has been in and out of lower league squads.
04:24But now, a big chance has come his way.
04:26He has been selected to play for England at the Homeless World Cup in Seoul, South Korea.
04:31The tournament gathers hundreds of homeless people from all over the globe
04:34for a week-long street soccer tournament every year.
04:39I'm healing now. I'm doing what I love, playing football.
04:42This opportunity is really huge.
04:45In preparation, he has been training every day at a local park.
04:49Soon, his talent was noticed.
04:51Coach Sami saw Mikele training alone
04:53and now trains and advises him on how to get a professional contract.
04:57For Sami, the way Mikele deals with such challenging circumstances makes him stand out.
05:03It takes resilience. It takes...
05:07Some days he comes and I say, have you eaten?
05:10He said, I'm struggling, but I'm here.
05:14I said, OK, don't worry. I'll take care of you after the training.
05:19Sometimes I feel like he wants to throw up.
05:22And I say, are we still OK? So let's call it a day.
05:25He said, no, no, no. I have to get this right.
05:28It's just something special. It's something unique that I haven't seen in a lot of players.
05:33A lot of people say, oh, I don't have this, so I cannot come to training.
05:38I'm cold now. No matter what he's facing outside, it doesn't affect him.
05:44Sami sees real potential in Mikele.
05:47Ability-wise, the premiership players that I see in him,
05:52there's no difference, but you have to prove it.
06:04All the effort paid off in South Korea.
06:06Mikele was top scorer as England qualified through the group stage,
06:10then helped his team beat the USA and Indonesia in the knockouts.
06:14His teammates certainly appreciated his contribution.
06:18I like him as a person. As a bowler, boy, he needs to go big time.
06:23I call him the clinical finisher. He needs to get into a professional team.
06:27Mikele also gained a lot from the bonds formed in Korea.
06:31I made many friends here. I engaged with a lot of nationals.
06:35It's wonderful. It's wonderful.
06:37You can hear many stories about the players that participate here.
06:42They have an amazing background. They made it this far.
06:46You're really proud of them.
06:48I learned many things from this tournament.
06:51I can say it's a huge experience to me, so I'm very excited.
06:57On the pitch, it all came down to the final against Mexico,
07:00the most successful nation of all time in the tournament.
07:03The Mexicans got off to a flyer before doubling their lead soon after.
07:09But England regrouped as Mikele got them up and running.
07:14His goal changed the momentum with England suddenly dominant.
07:18The equalizers soon followed, 2-all.
07:22The men in white were suddenly brimming with confidence,
07:25taking the lead for the first time.
07:28But their opponents would not lie down,
07:31a spell of pressure finally bringing it to 3-all.
07:35Then, amid the intense physical battle,
07:38an off-the-ball incident changed everything.
07:50Mikele was sent off.
07:56England fought to the end, but just couldn't hold on.
08:00Mexico eventually won a fifth men's title with a 6-5 win.
08:07Though his side couldn't get over the line,
08:09the experience of a different culture and city
08:12and the chance to meet people from all over the world was invaluable to Mikele.
08:23Back in London, the pain of the defeat still stings.
08:28I'm very, very sad. We lost the final.
08:31I was expecting to win the trophy.
08:35One week, very hard, I was like by myself.
08:39I couldn't take it.
08:41Unfortunately, worse was to come.
08:43Soon after landing, Mikele was told he'd been evicted
08:46because his landlord wanted to sell the house.
08:49It was a bitter blow.
08:52At the moment, for me it's hard,
08:55but I'm just starting from scratch now.
08:58It's hard for me at the moment.
09:00He's far from alone in this struggle.
09:02There are an estimated 350,000 homeless people in England
09:06from a population of 58 million.
09:08And in London, the situation is even worse.
09:11One in 53 people in the capital are homeless
09:14and nearly 5,000 people sleep rough across the city every night,
09:18up 18% on the previous year.
09:21I think we're facing unprecedented numbers
09:25of people coming to the streets.
09:27Jenny Traversos is the director of housing and services
09:30at London homeless charity The Passage.
09:32From my professional experience, the worst I've ever seen it
09:35because there aren't ways to move people off the street
09:38or to prevent people from becoming homeless.
09:41We just don't have the accommodation available,
09:44so it is a constant struggle.
09:46In her view, young people like Mikele
09:48have been hit particularly hard by government policies.
09:51But the ousting of the country's Conservative government
09:54by Labour earlier this year offers some shoots of hope.
09:57My impression is this government is going to look at wider homelessness.
10:01And for as much as we can say, you know,
10:04government policy will build 1.5 million additional homes,
10:08they don't get built overnight,
10:10so it's the between now and then in what matters.
10:13Doing the same thing over and over again, it's just not working.
10:17So I think there is hope,
10:19and I think there is a need for quite radical change.
10:28Mikele certainly never lost his hope.
10:31And for now at least, that has been rewarded.
10:34The management of his old house has changed, and he's got a new room.
10:38I can do my own things now.
10:41I can think, I can do whatever I want.
10:43At least I can think, you know.
10:45When you don't have a house, it's hard.
10:48But now I can do my own things.
10:51I can focus on my footwork, my education, work, yeah.
10:56Things are looking up.
10:58But having been through the London housing system before,
11:01Mikele knows it's unlikely to last forever.
11:04There is no secure place.
11:06In London, there is lack of house.
11:09Things change in a minute.
11:12You always have to focus.
11:15You have to always be alert.
11:17You can be homeless tomorrow. You don't know.
11:19I'm always alert on this.
11:22But for now I can say I'm settled, I'm focused, I'm happy.
11:28With the place to sleep sorted,
11:30he can once again dedicate all his energy
11:32to fulfilling the dreams he's carried with him on his journey from Adwa.
11:36Yeah, I'm really, really positive to see my future.
11:39I'm really positive.
11:41I'm really looking forward to change my life now.
11:44Next now is going to sign any club, any pro club,
11:49which I'm working on it with my coach.
11:53The people know me around me, so they are helping me.
11:57I'm also looking for trials, you know.
12:00I'm just doing what I have to do,
12:02and then we'll see what will happen.
12:07Finding a home and finding a club.
12:10One a human necessity and the other a lifelong passion.
12:14The two main forces in Michele's life rarely complement each other.
12:18But he's made it this far by battling the odds,
12:21and he shows no signs of stopping now.