“Messi or Ronaldo?” is the most common question the aspiring young football stars of the Gazikent community centre-turned-refuge ask each other and newcomers. The children of Gaziantep cannot be kept from playing in the rubble of flattened buildings, near makeshift roadside shelters, or in state-constructed tent cities.
The football pitches and indoor spaces of Gazikent, repurposed post-earthquake to house as many as 5,000 displaced people, resounded with activity — the clamour of play and friendly contestations settled in Syrian Arabic and Turkish.
