Many involved in grassroots football on Merseyside will be aware of Jacob Viera, but whether they’re aware Jacob’s incredible story is a completely different matter.

The local referee has been a valued member of the Liverpool football workforce for a number of seasons now, working closely with Liverpool County FA on both our refereeing programmes and work with refugees and asylum seekers.

As a refugee himself, Jacob’s unique perspective and desire to excel in the world of refereeing has been revealed in a brilliant feature on Goal Click; a platform utilising football to help people understand one another.

Through Liverpool County FA’s five-year-to-date partnership with Asylum Link, more than 1,000 refugees from 33 different countries have been engaged; in addition to producing 12 refugee referees for Merseyside’s grassroots football leagues.

One of those is Jacob.

Prior to arriving in England, Jacob was part of a professional football set-up in Kenya. However, following terrifying ordeals, a trial at Newcastle United led to Jacob learning about asylum and a move to Liverpool later materialised.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ JACOB’S STORY IN FULL