After months of only playing practice matches, Alaa Bakir is finally in the match selection of FC Emmen. The attacker, who came over from Borussia Dortmund, turned out, to everyone’s surprise, not to be German but a Jordanian. A discovery that caused many administrative problems, as players from outside the EU must meet strict salary conditions.
However, FC Emmen continued to believe in him and eventually arranged a German passport through a temporary internship contract and a lot of diplomatic work. “It was very annoying, especially for Alaa,” said technical director Nico Haak, who is relieved that the matter has been resolved. Bakir himself is grateful: “I still miss some competition rhythm, but I am doing everything I can to be valuable to the team as quickly as possible.”