By Rebecca Corbett
The Homeless World Cup spoke to Adil Leite about moving from Ethiopia to Norway, becoming a football referee and what it’s like teaching the next generation.
You might recognise Adil Leite from years of refereeing at the Homeless World Cup. He made his refereeing debut in Glasgow 2016 and has been centre stage at all subsequent tournaments, taking control of the final between Chile and Mexico in Cardiff in 2019.
Adil now runs an annual referee training course in Norway with Frelsesarmeen (Salvation Army) as part of their sports academy. This year, he fulfilled a lifelong dream of travelling to India, where he trained a group of 20 to 25 referees from India and Bangladesh in collaboration with Slum Soccer.
In 2013, Adil was on the other side of the gameplay, representing Norway as a player at the Homeless World Cup in Poznan. He jokes that when coaches in Norway suggested that he refereed at their national tournament, he said that he didn’t like referees, so why would he become one? After giving it a try, though, he changed his mind and has not looked back.
The Homeless World Cup is an international street football tournament that takes place in a different country each year and a year-round network organisation, aiding and connecting grassroots charities using football to support people experiencing homelessness.