Youra Eshaya

Youra Eshaya ( _ar. يورا أيشايا‎) (1933–1992) is a former Iraqi Assyrian soccer player who was the first Iraqi player ever to play in Europe.

Early life

He was born in 1933, in Iran to Eshaya Pera and Batishwa Benyamin. His family moved to Baghdad to live at the Royal Air Force Station Hinaidi in 1935, where Youra's father worked for the Royal Air Force (RAF). In 1937, the family was transferred to Habbaniya along with the rest of the Hinaidi Assyrian and Armenian civilians and the Assyrian levies employed by the Royal Air Force.

Football career before Europe

At the age of 15, Youra started to play Levy Civilian in the RAF Football League in Habbaniya. In the same season, he captained the RAF Employees/Assyrian Club junior team to the RAF FA Youth Cup. He was soon promoted to the senior team for the 1949/50 season. That same season, the club won the League and Cup knock-out competition. Youra went onto to represent the RAF Habbaniya station team that played other RAF teams in Iraq and the Middle East, while he also played for the Civil Cantonment select team where Youra and other employees of the RAF lived with their families.

Career in England

In April 1953, Youra scored a hat-trick for an Iraqi command team against an RAF team from the Suez Canal. His performance did not go unnoticed. Flight Lieutenant R. K. Weston, a football scout for English Football League club Bristol Rovers spotted him and recommended him to Bert Tann the Bristol Rovers manager at that time. Youra arrived in England on in August 1954. Since he only got a one month work permit in England, he had to appeal twice to extend his work permit. He finally worked as a miner in order to stay in England while playing as an amateur for Bristol Rovers 3rd team in the Western League. He was granted employment by the National Coal Board and he started working as a miner at Pensford Colliery, Somerset, on November 7, 1954. Youra made 23 appearances for the Bristol Rovers Colts in his first season scoring 3 goals; after hitting his first goal for the club, he got called up to play for the reserves playing in two games against Watford FC and Fulham FC.

Youra played only four games in his second season before the president of the Royal Iraqi Air Force FC, Brigadier Khadim Abbadi, invited him back to Iraq. He was offered an Iraqi citizenship and a place for him on the Force as a warrant officer provided he play for his club. He returned home to Baghdad in December 1955.

Iraq national team

He made his international debut for Iraq in January 1956 in the 6-0 win over a Tehran select side. He went onto be came a regular for the Iraqi national team until the early 1960s, playing for Iraqi first ever Olympic team during 1960 Olympic qualifiers.

Retirement

He was forced to retire in 1971 after he married a Swedish woman. The Baath Government forbid Iraqi military personnel to marry women from non-Arab countries. He was later transferred to Habbaniya air base as a sports officer to coach and oversee the training of military sportsmen. He moved to Sweden where he worked as a youth soccer coach. He died in 1992 at the age of 59.

References

http://www.edessa.com/sports/youra.htm