MOVING from his native Iran to Scotland when he was just a teenager back in the early 2000s was challenging for Pedram Ardalany for a multitude of reasons.
Ardalany spoke limited English when he arrived here. The culture he encountered in Glasgow was completely alien to him. His father, too, could not always find employment.
Playing football, though, enabled him to integrate fully into the local community and flourish in the years which followed.
Coming into contact with the late Celtic great Tommy Burns helped him no end as well.
The gifted midfielder was spotted starring for Arsenal Boys Club by a scout and the Parkhead club beat off competition from Kilmarnock and Partick Thistle to sign him.
Ardalany only - due to issues with red tape which could not, despite Burns’ tireless efforts, be overcome - spent a year on their books.
However, he has never forgotten his time in Paradise or the kindness and support which the legendary former Celtic player, coach and manager, who was in charge of the youth set-up at that time, showed him.
“Tommy was such a lovely character so he was,” said Ardalanay in his broad Glaswegian accent. “Being at Celtic was a great chance for me. It was my ambition to play for them. I was 16 and was there full-time. It was amazing, a dream come true.
“I can remember in one of my first days at Celtic. Somebody was crouched down in front of the changing room tying his laces. I couldn’t recognise who it was. Then he looked up at me and said: ‘Hi’. It was Roy Keane. He had a very different manner off the pitch than he did on it!
“But the Home Office wouldn’t give me a work permit. Celtic spoke to the SFA to see if they could sign me as an amateur. But the response was negative. They were told they weren’t allowed to do that. I got involved in a few friendlies, but, because they couldn’t sign me, I couldn’t play in any competitive games.
“But Tommy remains one of the best people I have ever met in Scottish football. He did so much to try and sort out the problems that I had back then. He worked so hard on my behalf.
“Okay, nothing could be done, but he certainly tried his best to do whatever he could. He treated me like I was his son. It is something that I will always remember. I was thankful for everything that he tried to do for me.”
Ardalany, who went on to play for Thistle, Arbroath, Arthurlie and Cumbernauld Colts as well as Esteghlal Ahvaz back in his homeland after leaving Celtic, is also grateful for all that Scottish football has done for him too.
Now 33 and pursuing his SFA coaching qualifications as he searches for a new club, he has seen first hand how the sport has the power to unite people regardless of their background, ethnicity, religion or political views.
So he had no hesitation about lending his backing to the Glasgow European Capital of Sport 2023 Refugee Football Tournament - which will involve players from over 50 nations and is being billed as the country’s most diverse event - at Toryglen on Sunday, July 2.
“Football definitely has the ability to bring people together,” said Ardalany as he looked ahead to a day which is being organised by Glasgow Afghan United and the Scottish Unity Football League in partnership with Glasgow Life. “That is why the tournament is such a great thing.
“It is not just about the football. You can meet new people. It can help you in other areas of life as well. Playing for Arsenal Boys Club when I first came here definitely helped me to integrate into Scottish society. I got to know people, made some friends. I couldn’t speak very good English when I arrived. Now I speak with a bit of a Scottish accent. Football has really helped me a lot.”
Abdul Bostani, who arrived in Glasgow around the same time as Ardalany after fleeing from the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, set up the Refugee Football Tournament back in 2012 in an attempt to help the “New Scots” in the city.
The managing director of Glasgow Afghan United and former chairman of the Scottish Unity Football League has seen it grow into a major annual event involving 24 teams and around 300 players since.
Many of those who have taken part in the tournament in the past have gone on to feature in the senior leagues and Bostani is convinced that participants will represent our biggest professional clubs, and even the national team, in future.
“One motivation behind setting up the tournament was there was a lot of good individual talent amongst asylum seekers,” he said. “But football academies and professional teams didn’t know about these talented players either. So this gave a platform to these players, the opportunity to be scouted by clubs.
“Karamoko Dembele (the former Celtic starlet who is now at Brest in France) played in this tournament last year. Islam Feruz (the ex-Scotland Under-21 internationalist) has played in the past. A lot of other semi-professional and professional players have played.
“A lot of boys from our league have ended up playing in League One, League Two, the Lowland League. In the years to come, I can see the players involved in this tournament representing Celtic and Rangers as well as the Scottish national team. That is the main idea. I am certain we will achieve our goals.”
Bostani has seen how other major European football nations have flourished at international level in the modern era by embracing their migrant communities and believes that Scotland would be well advised to follow their lead.
“We have done a lot,” he said. “But there is a long way to go in this country. In France, they have players from lots of different communities, particularly Africa. Different nationalities have integrated really, really well. They are involved in the national team. In Scotland we haven’t seen that to the same extent and we need to see that.
“If we had more investment in both the Unity League and the Refugee Tournament I think it could generate a lot of talent for Scottish football in the future. For me, these boys are the future of Scottish football. They are New Scots.
“There is untapped talent, good players at a young age, from an asylum seeker background here. They are treasures under the dust. They just need to be polished to shine properly. We should invest in this talent and utilise them properly.
“A lot of teams from an ethnic minority background don’t even have a football kit. They can’t play in a Saturday league because it’s so costly. Look at the price of insurance, of pitches. We have players in our team who walk miles to play because they can’t even afford public transport.
“If we do invest, I have no doubt at all we could produce good players for the national team. I see great players of 16, 17 and 18 on a daily basis. We have to ensure they don’t drift away from footall. Glasgow Life and the Celtic and Rangers charity foundations have been great with us. If we give these boys help they could be our national heroes in the future.”
