Aamir Abdallah, from Eritrea to football on the streets of Sudan to Melbourne
The opportunity to represent Hume City FC in the Australia Cup Round of 32 in Darwin has been a long journey for Aamir Abdallah.
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He was born in Eritrea and grew up in Sudan before moving to Melbourne with his family, and whilst there has been a lot of changes in his upbringing, the one constant has always been football.
“I am a proud Eritrean, but I grew up in Sudan, and all we did in the streets was play football day to day, it was a big part of my childhood,” he said.
“That continued when I moved to Melbourne too, in Australia I continued to play soccer, it was and always has been something I have enjoyed.”
Before the 2024 season, Abdallah moved from Heidelberg United to Hume City and has been among the first names on the team sheet since.
“Honestly, this season has been amazing, the club has been really good and the fans too, everyone has been so supportive on and off the pitch to me,” he said.
“I haven’t come across a single bad character in the club, not had a single bad experience and it has been really special, I think it is a great club.”
Hume City’s six goals in the Round of 32 of this year’s Australia Cup were the most from any side across the competition.
They defeated Darwin Hearts away from home to progress to the Round of 16, where they have been drawn against FC Melbourne Srbija.
In that game, Abdallah put in a mammoth performance from the right wing which saw him score a screamer and pick up three assists, or four if you count his cross that was bundled over the line by the Hearts goalkeeper.
Forever humble, he said his teammates help to make his job easier, in that game and every game for that matter.
“The boys make it easy for me, any cross into the box is met with any number of players to head home, and that is what happened against Darwin,” he said.
“We have a lot of match winners in the squad, four assists sound like a lot but when you’ve got those goal scorers up front, it helps me out so much.”
The match against Darwin was a unique experience for the squad from Melbourne’s north-west, as a lot of the players hadn’t even been to the city before.
“It was a big trip for all the boys to be honest, not many of the boys had been there before and it was different weather conditions which took a toll,” Abdallah said.
“Despite that, we went in there with the same targets we have for every game, to win, and it all went well for us, especially in the second half where we were able to show how good we can be.”
Hume currently sit equal third on the Victorian NPL Men's league table and within touching distance of second place and a home semi-final.
Along with the Round of 16 match against FC Melbourne Srbija, the club has a busy period ahead for them.
“We have two more league games (at the time of writing), and we are trying to secure second place in the league table, we really want a home final,” he said.
“In the Australia Cup, the draw against Melbourne Srbija is exciting for sure, it is a game we feel we can win, it will be hard, but we want to progress.”
“With the run we have had so far, and with the results we’ve had, we know it is possible for us to go a long way in the competition, we have the belief in ourselves to go far.”
To continue to progress, the support of the faithful Hume City fans is paramount according to Abdallah.
“The crowd at home games has been growing throughout the whole season, it has been great, so hopefully this match is where everyone shows up,” he said.
“It is very important to get people down there and create an environment where we can do our best with a home ground advantage, we really appreciate the support, and we want to do them proud in the Australia Cup.”
Match Details
Hume City FC v FC Melbourne Srbija
Kick-off: 7:30pm AEST
Hume City Stadium, Victoria
Tickets TBC
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