Saturday Night Football Confronts Youth Crime
Every Saturday night in Uppsala, Sweden, a soccer program is tackling one of the country’s most pressing social challenges. Robert Wirehag, a pastor and former youth soccer player for IK Sirius, organizes “night football” sessions in the Gottsunda area, a suburb with high crime rates and limited opportunities for young people.
Wirehag sees these youth—mainly boys between 12 and 17 years old—as vulnerable. “Some of the boys we are working with are already in gangs. Some of them are on their way to being recruited, and some of them are not yet there,” he told CNN. He describes Gottsunda as a place where criminal lifestyles emerge because of poverty and idleness.
The project is part of IK Sirius’ initiative Football Without Borders, which organizes these sessions when recruitment into gangs is most active. “That’s why we run activities on Saturday nights — because that’s when they tend to roam around the most,” Wirehag said.
Explosions and Violence Drive Police Action
Gang violence in Sweden has escalated dramatically. According to Swedish police, January saw more than one bombing per day. These explosions, often part of extortion or criminal disputes, use smuggled hand grenades, homemade bombs, or illegal pyrotechnic materials.
In a 2024 report, Swedish police estimated that 62,000 people are connected to criminal networks. Former special operations head Hanna Paradis described gang crime as “a network problem” that affects all of Sweden. Journalist Diamant Salihu added that some gangs recruit children as young as nine to carry weapons or plant explosives.
The Swedish Prosecution Authority recently reported a sharp rise in murder cases involving suspects under 15 years old. Since children under that age cannot be prosecuted under current Swedish law, there is growing pressure to reform the criminal justice system. One proposal calls for lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 14 for serious offenses.
Soccer as a Tool for Disruption and Mentorship
Despite rising violence, night football continues to offer a structured alternative. The program recently moved from the Gottsunda Sports Hall to the Valsätra Sports Ground, just over 400 yards away, to improve safety. “We don’t feel safe there. Not the boys either,” Wirehag explained.
One of the participants is 18-year-old Abdulraof Alchaieb, known as Abudi. He regularly attends the sessions and says the program helped him stay away from crime. “It’s kept me away from everything one should stay away from,” he told CNN. Abudi now plays for Sunnersta AIF Fotboll and was recently selected for Syria’s under-20 team.
Wirehag also invites the Swedish police to attend some of the sessions to foster trust. “These boys have no trust in the police whatsoever,” he said. Community officer Carina Neumann confirmed the efforts are part of broader outreach in Gottsunda. “There have been numerous shootings and bombings, and tensions still remain,” she said.
One Boy Saved Is Enough, Says Program Leader
While not every participant remains involved, many continue to return each week. Wirehag admits some have been recruited by gangs or left Uppsala altogether. But his goal is not universal reform — it’s individual impact.
“We cannot help everyone and prevent them from being recruited to gangs. But we can help someone,” he said. “If I look back 10 years from now and see that we just saved one boy, it will be worth everything.”