Malian migrant takes to rugby field, chasing brighter future in Spain

By Corina Pons and Borja Suarez

LA LAGUNA, Spain (Reuters) - On the rugby field as well as on the streets of the Spanish island of Tenerife, Moussa Diaby Wage is one of thousands of migrants from Mali seeking a better future in Europe.

After crossing the ocean in a small boat from the Mauritanian shore in January 2020, Diaby - then 15 - studied Spanish, attended secondary school in the Canary Islands and obtained Spanish citizenship.

Now the 20 year old trains hard as a rugby player at the local La Laguna University's CRULL Club.

"I'm going to fight on my team to one day play for a big team in Spain," he told Reuters before the new season's first training session.

Diaby's Italian coach Nicola Sergiampietri says the team has formed a close bond.

"For Moussa, as for all of us, rugby is a family ... everyone on the pitch comes in to fight together, regardless of language," he said.

Diaby said many more teenagers from Mali will risk the dangerous sea voyage to reach Europe, fleeing conflict in his home country which is grappling with jihadist insurgents.

According to Frontex data, nearly half of migrants currently reaching the Canaries are Malians. Spanish authorities fear that as many as 150,000 more migrants from Africa may arrive this year.

"Young people are the ones who come the most," Diaby said, as their age helps both their chances of surviving the rough journey and integrating into a new society.

"If we had work in Africa, we wouldn't come ... because I know what we suffer at sea," he added.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday began his second visit this year to West Africa, aiming to curb migration to the Canary Islands and counter Russia's influence in the Sahel region.

Diaby, who once dreamed of becoming a soldier but faced opposition from his father, now works as an interpreter at a migrant reception centre. Before that, he trained as a gardener and unsuccessfully tried to pass a military academy admission exam.

The young Malian said that what African countries needed most was support from Europe to generate jobs and provide training for young people.

(Reporting by Corina Pons and Borja Suarez; Editing by David Latona and Ros Russell)