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Football coach gives refugees hope

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June 26, 2021

The Greek island of Lesbos is struggling with a tide of refugees. Dire conditions in the camps keep making negative headlines around the world. Evangelos Spanos wants to give refugees some hope — and is using soccer to do it.

About two dozen refugees train at Cosmos F.C..Through Evangelos Spanos' experience as coach and sports scientist, he knows that hard work alone is not enough to achieve your goals — you need some talent, too.

Paul Asema Yongo is in his early 20s, hails from Cameroon, and can offer both — hard work and talent. He dreams of a career as a professional soccer player. Evangelos Spanos supports Yongo as best he can, but many locals are still hostile toward refugees.

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