About Tommy

My name is Tommy Nilsen. I am 34 years old, and born and raised in Oslo. I’m a former professional football player at LYN, a well known team in Norway. At the age of 25 my career as a player abruptly came to an end due to a serious knee injury. After two surgeries and two years of treatment, I unfortunately had to realize that I could not return to professional football.

In 2004 I travelled to Rio de Janeiro, on vacation, to explore a country I have always admired. Two unexpected things happened: I fell in love twice. First in the city of Rio De Janeiro and later in a beautiful girl, Nayara. In 2005 I made the decision to move permanently to Rio, and in 2006 I founded Karanba.

I have always thought it’s important to help young people. In the year 2000, I donated a football pitch to my former elementary school in Oslo. In 2001, I received a medal of honour from my team LYN, as a token of my excellent effort both on and off the pitch.

Karanba is a perfect way to combine my love for football with my passion to make a difference. We have come a long way since the beginning, but there is still a lot of work to be done before we can reach all of our goals.