The Big Interview: Yaser Kasim (Iraq/Swindon Town)

As a teenager, Yaser Kasim turned down a professional contract from one of England’s top sides, but the midfielder has not looked back and is out to help Iraq build on their semi-final appearance at the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015.

Yaser Kasim - The Family Man

His family took him to England, albeit via Jordan, and it was a familial feeling which led Iraq midfielder Yaser Kasim to make the initially surprising decision to turn down a professional contract with an English Premier League side and eventually settle with a team in the third tier of the country’s footballing setup.

“I wanted a more family connection and the owner to be involved and know the players and that the youth team system was looking after the players,” says Kasim, who turns 24 in May.

“I didn’t think that was the case, but the more you move around, the more you know football is becoming a business and it is tough to hold onto that family culture, so when there is a club that looks after you very well, as a player, you want to give back and that is what I really want.”

**Nationality **	** Iraq**
**Date of Birth**	** 10/05/1991**
**Current Club**	** Swindon Town (England)**
**Previous Clubs**	** Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton & Hove Albion,Luton Town,  Macclesfield Town**

Having been born in Iraq in 1991 a matter of months after the end of the Gulf War, Kasim’s passion for the game had begun at a young age on the streets of Baghdad.

You can find this and many other articles in Issue 10 of the AFC Quarterly - click here for the PDF

“I lived in Iraq until I was six years old. I don’t know how young I was when I started to play, but before I left we used to play a lot of football on the streets,” says Kasim.

“It is a very sunny and hot climate so we used to play on the streets and there were a lot of people playing 20 a-side sometimes on the tarmac and there were a few rolled ankles and a few chipped toe nails, but I loved it and we used to be outside all day.”

Kasim eventually left Iraq with his father unable to support the family due to a decline in his business as a used car parts salesman, and after spending a year in Jordan where he experienced his first taste of school, the family arrived in England.

“I started to play at the school, but it was the same passion, although we had shoes as we had to wear a uniform,” says Kasim of his time in Jordan. “But there would still be a load of kids running around and the ball would not be in the best condition.”

The family, with an aunt and uncle nearby to help, spent the first six months of their time in England in a hotel before eventually settling in a house in west London, near the district which top-flight sides Chelsea and Fulham call their home.

“At the time you don’t have many friends, you have left all your friends at home, you can’t go out much as it is a different life in England and the weather is different so you can’t go outside, so I just got the ball and started to play by myself,” says Kasim.

“And when we moved to North West London, after getting a house sorted, I started playing after school every day and then I started to go to football clubs and a coach at one of my sports centres took me to Fulham.”

Kasim’s spell with Fulham lasted only a matter of months as the 15-year-old left Craven Cottage only to switch to North London and Tottenham Hotspur.

He was eventually offered a professional contract after leaving school, but in 2010 Kasim turned down the deal having been part of the same youth setup as the likes of current England international Andros Townsend and established Premier League duo Danny Rose and Steven Caulker.

“I turned 18 and they offered me professional terms, but I saw the way it was going as they were bringing in a lot of players and how they were taking care of the players,” says Kasim.

“There was a lot of competition; I don’t mind competition as the more the competition, when growing up especially, the better it is, but they were bringing in players without plans on how to look after them and I felt they weren’t doing things right by the players so I saw that my opportunities would be limited and I thought this was not for me.”

Kasim joined third-tier side Brighton & Hove Albion under Uruguayan Gus Poyet in August 2010 with the side pushing for promotion.

He also spent time on loan with non-league duo Luton Town and Macclesfield Town before being released by Brighton in May 2013, although he did not have to wait long until finding a new and finally permanent home as Kasim joined Swindon Town ahead of the 2013/14 season.

“I got to Brighton, but the situation was a little bit different. Poyet was there, they were going for promotion, but also they took me to the office and talked to me a lot. The assistant manager, Luke Williams, is now at Swindon and he is one of the best coaches I have worked with. This guy is at another level and I can always go to him,” says Kasim.