Palestinian youth Alaa Al-Shihabi received a Medal of Merit from the Football Association in the German city of Leipzig. Alaa was also honored as a talent coach.

Alaa, displaced from Yarmouk camp, south of Damascus, started his football career at the age of 15. He played for nine years in Al-Wahda Club at the Syrian Professional League. He joined the Faculty of Journalism at Damascus University after the conflict broke out in Syria in 2011. He worked as a reporter for Arab TV stations.

After his arrival in Germany, he joined the “Welcome to Football” project as a volunteer trainee for five years. The project aimed to support experienced refugees in learning the language and qualifying as coaches or referees.