30 years old | Pyry Soir, who grew up in Africa, was bullied at school in Kouvola: “I didn’t understand why they do that”

A football player Try Soiri is accurate, but unfortunately the network connection is erratic.

“Hey Juha! It takes me 10 minutes”, he says at the agreed interview time.

In July, there was news about Soir’s surprise move to Greece. Soiri signed a two-year contract with Athens Kallithea FC, which has been promoted to the new Greek league.

Soon the connection will work. Soiri regrets once again that the internet is not as reliable in Greece as it is in Finland. The landlord is coming to agree on a better connection.

Otherwise everything is fine.

“A couple of months have passed very quickly. The transfer decision and the move have been refined for half a year. I was really taken by the fact that I was wanted here. Athens has potential.”

Migration From Romania to Greece, Soiris felt good anyway.

For Soir, who grew up in Africa, the sun and a few minutes’ walk from the front door to the seaside are perfect, not to mention good food and beautiful nature.

“Athens is a beautiful place. It’s funny that people come here on vacation, but now I get to live here.”

There is still something more behind the positive feeling.

“I wanted a new beginning, and I’m glad that now it came true.”

in Finland born Soiri has lived in different parts of Africa for his social scientist mother Iina Soirin because of different tasks and projects.

A five-year-old boy’s first memories in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, are related to the heat – and, of course, football.

“Those were the best moments when I got to kick a football with others in the yard.”

It was also a great way to make friends. Words weren’t necessarily needed.

“It was enough for someone to walk outside with the ball. Soon he was followed by a pack of children and the game was on.”

The only annoying thing was that there was no good grass anywhere. Soiri came home sometimes red from sand dust, sometimes with bruised feet from stones and gravel.

It didn’t dispel the passion, and for birthdays, mom always got to make a cake looking like a soccer field.

Family moved to Namibia when Soiri was seven years old. There he started in an international school with children of diplomats. The children were taken to school in the morning and picked up in the afternoon. During that time, the gates were closed and you couldn’t leave the school grounds.

The first days were exciting because there were always a lot of new faces.

“Being friends was made easier by the fact that we were all in a fairly similar situation. Despite my initial shyness, I get to know others easily and am interested in people,” says Soiri.

“Sociability is the African side of my nature and it is still visible.”

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“Sociability is the African side of my nature.”

By the time he was a teenager, the environments and people had changed so much that sometimes Soir feels as if he had lived for a couple of lives. Sometimes the changes and leaving friends was annoying.

“Fortunately, I always had loving people and a community around me. Watching my mother’s career and successes helped me believe that I can do it too. I learned to trust my own doing.”

Dream the football player’s career was an important reason for moving to Finland. Soiri had indeed made it to youth coaching in Africa, but more systematic coaching awaited in Finland.

The Soirs moved to Myllykoski in 2010, where Soir’s grandmother lived. The grandfather had died two years earlier, and it was a great loss for the grandson.

“He was a writer and a virtual pilot. I admired him very much. During my summer vacations, we played airplane games together. It’s a shame that the distance to my grandparents was so long and we rarely saw each other.”

Fortunately, grandma was able to follow the development of Soir’s career. Soiri started in the B-juniors of Myllykoski Pallo and soon at the age of 17 he made it to the men’s representative team.

“It was a turning point. I realized that my dreams were possible and from then on everything would depend on my own contribution.”

Close ones a support network and self-confidence were necessary, as Kouvola was not a very international place. Soiri stood out as the only brown-skinned person in his school and received racist yelling and bullying.

The situation got so bad that Soiri told her mother that she didn’t want to go to school or practice.

“Facing racism was difficult for me. I didn’t understand why they do that and I thought it was me. Fortunately, I was able to talk about it. I can only imagine how bad the situation is for such a young person who is alone.”

The mother took the matter forward and the bullying ended with an apology.

Now Soiri has been able to follow the world of professional sports for half of his life, play in different parts of Europe and represent Finland in the Huuhkajie shirt.

He is satisfied that cases of discrimination are talked about more openly today than before. It is necessary so that future young people can also pursue their dreams.

“Still, there is still room for development, and it cannot be overemphasized. Discriminatory behavior should not be seen in sports circles – or anywhere else,” says Soiri.

“If it could be eradicated, the world would be a thousand times better place.”

What would you tell your 20-year-old self?

“You can never dream enough.”