QPR youngster set to represent Somalian town in World Football Cup

QPR youngster Kingsley Eshun has been included in the Barawa squad for the Conifa World Cup, which will be played in London.

Conifa – the Confederation of Independent Football Associations – is the international governing body for non-Fifa affiliated associations.

The associations under Conifa’s umbrella include Yorkshire, who are not involved in the tournament, as well as the likes of Tibet, Northern Cyprus, United Koreans in Japan and Western Armenia, who will all be represented.

Barawa, also known as Barawe and Brava, is a port town in the south-western Lower Shebelle region of Somalia with a population of just 33,000.

They are considered the ‘hosts’ for the tournament, which begins on 31 May, because the team is drawn from the Somali diaspora in England. They are 11th in the Conifa rankings, making them one of the lowest-ranked teams in the competition.

Eshun, 19, is a forward who joined QPR from non-League AFC Wembley in 2016. He was previously on Brentford’s books. 

The Barawa squad also includes Gianni Critchlow, who was at QPR before being released last year, as well as former Fulham trainee Solomon Sambou.

They will play group matches against Tamil Eelam, Cascadia and Ellan Vannin.

Ellan Vannin is the Isle of Man, as it is referred to by the native Manx population.

The Cascadia Association Football Federation (CAFF) represents the Cascadia region of the United States and Canada, which includes Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.

And Tamil Eelam is a proposed independent state that Tamils in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora aspire to create in the north and east of Sri Lanka.

The final is due to be played on 9 June at Enfield Town FC.

You can find out more about the Conifa World Cup by clicking here.