“My aim is to give the children guidance and a sense of security”
Automotive engineer Hassan Chebli works as a volunteer in Berlin, coaching children from refugee families. He believes football is a good vehicle for teaching values.
Ina Brzoska,
01.10.2025 
When Chebli wants to teach rules and structure, he takes colourful cones out onto the pitch. At first, the boys charge wildly after the ball. They tussle and shout, now and then giving each other a shove – until one of them bursts into tears. “That’s enough,” calls Chebli. He gives them a stern look, then instructs them to line up. Yassin, Omar, Demir and the others quickly get in line behind the cones and stand still. Then the warm-up session gets under way: push-ups on elbows, in rapid succession.
"Sometimes I have to be strict," says Chebli. You can tell it doesn’t come easily to him. With his thick black hair and warm brown eyes, he seems more understanding than severe. He knows the boys are looking for security – but they need rules, too. At the beginning they often used to insult him.
Patience is the most important skill I’m able to offer.
Many of the children come from Lebanon or Syria and grew up in refugee camps. Chebli himself, a 36-year-old Palestinian, has lived in a Berlin refugee shelter for three years. In his day job he works as a motor vehicle assessor; in the evenings he’s often on the pitch coaching boys aged eight to eleven for the organisation Buntkicktgut. “Patience is the most important skill I’m able to offer,” he says.
Financed by donations, the initiative was founded in Munich in 1996 and now operates nationwide. About 300 children and teenagers play regularly in the Berlin districts of Neukölln, Kreuzberg and Wedding.
Support for the parents
After the training session, the children talk about what’s on their minds. Often it’s worries or conflicts, which Chebli discusses with them. More than anything, though, he wants to give them guidance: “Most of them are not aware of the many opportunities available to them Germany,” he says. When parents come along, he sometimes helps translate the official documents they receive. “I go with them to the authorities, or explain how to apply for an apprenticeship or a job,” says Chebli. His greatest wish is for the children to set themselves goals – and learn to work steadily towards them. Just like in football: always with an eye on the next tournament.
