Syrian refugee who was tripped by camerawoman gets job in Spain

Discovering that Al Ghabad had coached soccer in Syria, a Spanish football coaching centre decided to help him


Web Desk September 18, 2015
PHOTO: NPR/AP

The Syrian refugee who was tripped by Hungarian camerawoman, inciting international horror, has now been offered a job in Spain.

"I love you, I love Madrid," said the grateful man, after arriving in the Spanish capital with his sons Mohammad, 16, and Zaid, seven. "Thank you for all. This is very, very important for my life. I am here with you. Thank you very much," he added.

Read: Hungarian TV photojournalist fired for kicking fleeing migrants

Osama Abdel Muhsen Al-Ghabad and his son made headlines worldwide when footage of them being tripped by a Hungarian journalist as they ran from the police, was released earlier this month.

Hungarian camerawoman Petra Laszlo was caught on film tripping refugees, after which she claimed she had 'panicked.'

PHOTO: REUTERS

Al-Ghabad, who previously coached Syrian football club Al-Fotuwa SC and was a board member of the Syrian Football Association, has been offered a job at the CENAFE school, that trains football coaches, in the suburbs of Madrid.

After discovering that Al-Ghabad had coached soccer in Syria, members of the CENAFE national soccer coaching centre decided to help him rebuild his life, and provided transport and a place for him to stay.

CENAFE sent a Moroccan trainee to help Al-Ghabad and his sons get to Spain from Munich, Germany, where they had been staying at a hotel.

Read: Meet the Syrian man who was tripped by a Hungarian camerawoman

Further, the president of the school, Miguel Angel Galan said that finding out that Al-Ghabad was a soccer coach led to "solidarity because we are colleagues." He said that funds had been assigned for projects and they will invest them in Al-Ghabad’s "home and upkeep."

Al-Ghabad and his family had to flee the country when their city, Deir Al-zoor was captured by the Islamic State. He was allegedly arrested and tortured for rioting against the Syrian government.

This article originally appeared on NBCNEWS

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