Youra Eshaya
Encyclopedia
Youra Eshaya Pera (1933–1992) is a former Iraq
i and ethnic Assyrian
and football player who was the first Iraqi player ever to play in Europe
.
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.
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 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 and returned to Baghdad in December 1955.
ist Government prohibited military personnel from marrying non-Arab women even though Eshaya himself was an Assyrian and not an Arab. He was later transferred to Habbaniya air base where he coached and trained military sportsmen. He moved to Sweden
where he worked as a youth soccer coach. He died in 1992 at the age of 59.
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i and ethnic Assyrian
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
and football player who was the first Iraqi player ever to play in Europe
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
.
Early life
He was born in 1933, in IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
to Eshaya Pera and Batishwa Benyamin. His family moved to Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
to live at the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Station Hinaidi in 1935, where Youra's father worked for the Royal Air Force (RAF). In 1937, the family was transferred to Habbaniya
Habbaniya
The Habbaniya, or Habbania, are a Sunni Muslim tribe of the nomadic Bedouin Baggara people in the plains of Sudan's Darfur, North Kurdufan, and South Kurdufan provinces....
along with the rest of the Hinaidi Assyrian
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
and Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
civilians and the Assyrian levies
Assyrian Levies
The Iraq Levies was the first Iraqi military forces established by the British in British controlled Iraq. The Iraq Levies were a most noteworthy feature of the Kingdom of Iraq, and especially of northern Iraq during the years of the mandate, and no account of the Assyrians or indeed of Iraq itself...
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. He was soon promoted to the senior team for the 1949/50 season.Career in England
In April 1953, Flight Lieutenant R. K. Weston, a talent-scout for Bristol Rovers spotted him and recommended him to Bert TannBert Tann
Bert Tann was a football manager and player, who managed Bristol Rovers for 18 years, from 1950 to 1968. He was the longest-serving post-war manager of Rovers, and the second longest overall behind Alfred Homer.-Playing career:...
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
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
and he started working as a miner at Pensford
Pensford
Pensford is a village in the civil parish of Publow and Pensford in Somerset, England. It lies in the Chew Valley south of Bristol and west of Bath...
Colliery, Somerset, on November 7, 1954.
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
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
provided he play for his club and returned to Baghdad in December 1955.
Retirement
He was forced to retire in 1971 after he married a Swedish woman because the BaathBaath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
ist Government prohibited military personnel from marrying non-Arab women even though Eshaya himself was an Assyrian and not an Arab. He was later transferred to Habbaniya air base where he coached and trained military sportsmen. He moved to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
where he worked as a youth soccer coach. He died in 1992 at the age of 59.