2024-02-22 18:03:10
Par Sports Editorial in Caen
Published on Feb 22, 24 at 7:03 p.m. See my news Follow Sport in Caen
When he left his country in 2018 at the age of 15, Yeli had never played football, other than with friends on a few dirt pitches here and there. His coming to France had other motivations than, for example, that of a certain Salif Keita, his compatriot driven by a passion for football and who became, in the 60s and 70s, a legend of French football. Above all, Yeli was looking for a better world where he could find a job to help his family.
France, which friends had presented to him as a new El Dorado and of which he spoke a little language, was his dream destination. It took courage at that age to leave your family and attempt such a journey, Mali, Morocco, Spain before reaching Calvados.
In France, at 15, alone and without papers
When he talks about his family, whom he left almost ten years ago, he looks at the horizon, his eyes misty and whispers: “I miss my mother a lot”.
However, it is a little thanks to football that Yeli Camara succeeded in integrating on French soil. And it is no coincidence that he put on his first crampons in Hérouville, the most cosmopolitan town in the department, and in a club, the SCH, which has always drawn its strength from its diversity.
Yeli Camara impressed the audience in front of Mézidon, in the R2 clash. ©Loann BEHIER
Samir Zouzaoui, educator at SC Hérouville who welcomed, chaperoned and guided him upon his arrival, is undoubtedly the person who knows him best. Today, he does not hide his joy at the development of his protégé:
A good boy
“Yeli arrived as an isolated minor and taken care of by the educators of “France Terre d’Asile”, he relates. He joined the Lemonnier Institute where he received training. Then, I welcomed him to the club in the U18 group, for which I was responsible and there, he really amazed me. He never missed a training session, showing a fierce will to succeed like someone with a vengeance on life. »
And the Hérouville trainer continued: “In the group, he exuded greater maturity for his age and never complained. In fact, he was a resourceful guy who didn’t have the codes but who understood that with a lot of observation and work, you could succeed. I’m not surprised by his current level of play. Yeli is an example of self-sacrifice and courage for young people her age who have everything. »
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Football at the SCH as a matter of course
After leaving Lemonnier, Yeli was confronted with the harsh reality of the working world which corresponded to his time among the seniors. He found his first job as a rigger. You had to get up at four o’clock and the job was thankless, but he didn’t mind, only too happy to receive a salary at the end of the month. In terms of football, the learning process was carried out flawlessly and the progression was linear until a major injury spoiled the party.
Deprived of football for a while, Yeli worked harder and joined the extended group of the A team during the last winter break. Since then, he has been in the group of 14 in every match and has even earned his starting stripes.
In a few weeks, a player who counts
Against Mézidon (2-0), Sunday February 18, 2024, this slender player, a sort of Patrick Vieira but slimmer, produced an XXL performance. Not only was he very effective in recovering the balls through his placement, his replacement and his aggressiveness in the duels, but thanks to his shooting and his speed, he was also able to direct the game and bring up clean balls to his attackers.
Aware of his qualities and his faults – “I am an active player who works a lot and I have good speed, but I tend to get angry when I do not succeed in what I want to do”, Yeli has an opinion decided when we ask him who his idol is: “I like Messi too, but my favorite player is always Neymar” and there, no matter how much we argue, the opinion is definitive: Neymar gets all his votes. Yeli, a reserved boy who knows what he wants…
Bernard GUYONNET
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