DOHA, QATAR - Awer Mabil, Thomas Deng, and Garang Kuol have spoken a lot about their journeys from refugee camps to the Australian national team -- and now, as the trio prepare to represent the Socceroos at the World Cup, they want the world to continue to hear their story.
All of South Sudanese origin -- the trio are the first of that heritage to represent Australia -- Mabil, Deng, and Kuol arrived as refugees: Mabil settling in Adelaide after spending the first 10 years of his life in a Kenyan refugee camp, Deng arriving in Adelaide as a six-year-old after also spending the first years of his life in Kenya, and Kuol and his family settling in Shepparton after they were forced to flee their homes to Egypt.
Flash forward to 2022, and they now represent three of four players in the Socceroos World Cup squad that arrived in the country seeking asylum (defender Milos Degenek arrived in 2000 after escaping conflict in the Balkans). And despite it seemingly being on the agenda every time they face a fresh batch of journalists, their appetite to share their story remains strong.
"That's what comes with it," said Mabil. "If there were no questions, then sometimes you find out you can't tell a story. If we would sit here and not talk then nobody would know our stories, [we'd just be] the quiet guys.
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"A lot of [Australia] knows our stories, where we come from and where our parents come from and we are proud of that. We do tell our story no matter who asks the questions, we are going to be as honest as possible and have nothing to filter. Because for us it's just honesty, that's the way we've been raised and that's the way we're going to do our thing."
Mabil, Deng, and Kuol have quickly formed a tight-knit group in Doha. Roommates at the team's Aspire Academy base, Mabil and Deng were childhood friends and made their Socceroo debuts together back in 2018, while Kuol was quickly welcomed into the circle after his senior international debut in September. Despite already fulfilling his own duties a few days prior, Deng insisted on accompanying Mabil and Kuol to the media centre for their press conference when he saw them making their way across the facility.
The triumvirate, all of who will likely feature at some point in the Socceroos games in Qatar, are at the forefront of the changing face of Australia's national team and, more broadly, society at large. They are representatives of a new wave of African migration that is increasingly demonstrated not just in the Socceroos, but in the ranks of A-Leagues sides, the semi-professional National Premier Leagues below them and, in turn, the thousands of community clubs below them.
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"We have a strong bond between each other," adds Deng. "We understand the sacrifices that our families have made and we have very similar stories. That's probably why we're always around each other. But at the same time, it's good for us to speak and to answer questions so that Australia can know our stories, know our culture and what we're about as well.
"Being able to represent different heritages and being that role model to many kids and to show them that hard work leads to you getting somewhere -- I think it's something that I hold close to me," adds Kuol.
"I want to prove to kids, especially South Sudanese kids around the world, that you can make something of yourself."