Ligue 1 rising talent Mohamed Toure returned to his junior club to orchestrate an African All-Stars game featuring A-Leagues stars past and present, designed to inspire African kids to play football and raise money to keep them in the game, writes Matt Comito.
Yaya Dukuly found the back of the net, and set off toward the gathering of elated kids lining the fence that separated the crowd from the pitch at Croydon Sports Arena.
He promised the kids a backflip before kick-off, and that’s what they screamed for as he drew closer.
Then, Dukuly sent himself spinning through the air. The kids erupted, producing a collective scream akin to a fighter jet taking flight.
Smiles were printed over each of their faces as one of the adoring fans exclaimed: “That means a lot!
“The goal and the backflip, we told him to do it!”
It was the moment that summed up the magic of an African All-Stars game laden with A-Leagues stars both past and present that took place in Adelaide on Saturday night.
The African All-Stars match was organised by Ligue 1 rising star and Croydon FC junior Mohamed Toure who, whilst in bed one morning, was struck with the inspiration to bring together the best of Adelaide’s Australian-African footballers for a one-off fundraising fixture designed to inspire the next generation to follow in their footsteps – and keep young players in the game.
Toure has spent the last calendar year in France, working tirelessly to break through at Ligue 1 club Stade de Reims. The 19-year-old succeeded in his mission late in the 2022-23 campaign, enhancing his status as one of the most exciting young Australian players in a breakout generation.
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Toure is one of three brothers making their way in the professional game: the eldest is Al Hassan, most recently signed to Macarthur FC in the Isuzu UTE A-League. The youngest, Musa, made his A-League Men debut at Adelaide United last season, following the lead of both Mohamed and Al Hassan who also broke through at the Reds.
Together, the Toure brothers all rose through the ranks at Croydon FC in South Australia. Mohamed Toure knows they were extraordinarily lucky to do so.
In an interview with KEEPUP in May, Tanzanian-born Adelaide United sensation Nestory Irankunda revealed his two older brothers had to give up playing to help keep his dream alive, due to registration fees his family couldn’t afford.
Irankunda is just 17 years of age, but looks destined to achieve great things in the game. He knows that he owes a lot of what comes his way to his family, and thanks them for their sacrifices.
But it shouldn’t have to be that way; Toure organised the African All-Stars exhibition match not only to inspire young African children to follow in his footsteps, but to raise money to help pay the registration fees of those children who cannot afford to play football.
“It’s a special moment for me,” Toure told KEEPUP.
“I know how it feels to be a grassroots kid in a big family, you might not be able to afford fees, you might stop.
“You saw Nestor say his older brothers stopped playing football just so he could. We know we could have had three Nestors maybe – but we only have one due to things like this.
“I thought it would be nice to raise money and hold an event, and get out there for a few minutes in front of people I grew up (with), in front of my hometown.”
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“I thought about it one morning in bed,” Toure added. “I thought it would be nice to do something like this. I kept on investing time, asking people for opinions… making phone calls early morning because of the time difference, waking up earlier so I can catch the people in Adelaide.
“This is where I grew up. This was the club I played for when I was younger, so I always knew I could come back to them, and they’d help me.”
It was Croydon’s technical director Mark Brazzale whom Toure reached out to first to help get the African All-Star game off the ground.
“Mohamed has been part of my life, part of this club since he was seven or eight years old,” Brazzale said.
“It was a bit of a no-brainer. I said: ‘Whatever you need, we’ll help out’.”
Brazzale spoke to KEEPUP pitchside at Croydon Sports Arena, as the All-Stars game enthralled a heaving crowd behind him.
It was a showpiece event pitting two teams against one another: Akhi FC (“Akhi” meaning “brother” in Arabic) and Lions FC, a team consisting mainly of players from South Sudan, and the current AFCON South Australia champions.
Among the players in action were the three Toure brothers, Adelaide United youngster Panashe Madanha, Macarthur midfielder Charles M’Mombwa and Dukuly – Mohamed Toure’s Reims teammate.
Western Sydney Wanderer Kusini Yengi and his brother Tete showed their support from the sidelines. Akhi FC wore Nike kits that Socceroos star and former Adelaide United winger Awer Mabil helped supply.
“We’ve been very fortunate at this club, we’ve had a lot of players, especially of African origin, come through this club in the last 10-15 years,” Brazzale added.
“It’s magnificent… look at Mohamed Toure out on the field – the fella is playing in France at the moment! Why wouldn’t you come out to watch him?
“It’s an amazing experience, and for young kids to come out and watch these guys grace the field (up) close, I think it’s amazing.
“It’s fantastic for everybody involved. For football, for commiunities, and for everyone to see these boys giving back.
“Let’s face it: they could probably not come back and do anything. They’ve taken their time out to have a game, to show the people that this was where they grew up, and this is what they’re all about.”
Akhi FC won the exhibition match 3-2 – but the result was insignificant in the context of an event designed to inspire the next generation.
“One of the reasons I brought my kids out here was for them to have this experience, have some sort of face-to-face reaction and see what it takes (to make it in football),” one fan told KEEPUP on the sidelines.
Another added: “If my kids are looking up to these guys, it means a lot for our community. We want things like this: boys on the street, to get out of the streets and come and do something like this for the future.”
Dukuly, who sparked those special scenes in the All-Stars match with a celebratory backflip, said: “I remember when I was seven, sitting on the fence watching the older boys play. I was like: ‘Oh, I can’t wait to be like them’.
For me it’s being the best role model I can be. I’m going to make mistakes in life, but I’m just going to try and do my best so when they watch me, they go: ‘Yeah, I want to be like Yaya’
But the final word was reserved for Mohamed Toure, who could so easily keep his gaze fixed forward, but instead chooses not only to keep in mind the community that fostered his footballing talent, but to come home and use his status as a role model to enact positive change within it.
Post-match, he revealed his agent had advised him not to take part in the All-Stars game. He simply couldn’t help himself, coming on in the second half for a substitute’s cameo.
A gaggle of kids swarmed around him as he said: “It’s amazing because I was once like them: I had idols.
“When I was younger it was the likes of Bruce Kamau and Awer Mabil. If I ever got the chance to watch them all at once, and after interact with them? It would be a dream come true. I can see what it means to them.”
Featured image credit: @allstarsafrican
