South Sudan blind footballers eye glory at AFCON championship

By Denis Ejulu

Amid the sweltering heat on a Monday afternoon in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, Simon Madol Akol,
head coach of South Sudan blind football yells instructions to his players as they prepare for the last
training session.
Stephen Hakim, a 33-year-old student of public administration at the University of Juba, is among the
seven players going through the races at the Dr.Biar sports complex ahead of the Blind Football African
Championship Division two tournament set to kick off from Oct.25-30 in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
Hakim a former child soldier in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) now named the South Sudan
People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) lost his eye sight in 2002 after being hit by a bullet shell in Yei River
County, Central Equatoria State.

“When I became visually impaired I was so upset. I loved playing football before I lost my eye sight but in
2020 when blind football started I got another opportunity to enjoy the game,” he told Juba Echo last
week.
Hakim is currently in Kampala, representing the South Sudan national team at their first ever major
tournament.

“I am physically fit and happy to represent my country at the tournament,” he added.

According to the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), blind football is an adaptation of football
for athletes with visual impairments including blindness. The players wearing blind folds kick a ball with
sound devices on an artificial turf.

Similar to Hakim, Martin Ladu Paul, 23, captain of the blind football nation team also has an inspiring
journey. The second -year student of journalism at the University of Juba, was born with vision
impairment.

Ladu emphasized that the tournament in Uganda provides them with opportunity to test themselves
against teams they have not faced in while.

“I feel great to be the first captain of South Sudan national football team. It is not easy for a blind person
to one day dream of playing football but I am now the captain leading the team. My big aim is to
actually make this country proud and also build my career in football and education,” he said.

Meanwhile, Yona Sabri Ellon,22, who lost his vision at the age of 14, said that blind football has given
him new lease of life as he now aspires to enroll at the university after having completed his secondary
education.
Sabri when not playing football also spares time to volunteer in waste management in his community of
Gudele block 7 suburb of Juba.
“When I got blind I lost hope of playing football again. I stayed two years at home without schooling and
I never knew anything about blind football,” he told Juba Echo.
Charles Pascal Clement,33, President of South Sudan Blind Football Association said the game has been
growing in leaps and bounds despite the dearth of standard facilities such as playing grounds in the
country.
He said that with support from Light for the World NGO, an inclusive organization that supports people
with disabilities they have been able to build the national football league from the initial two players to
more than 40 players. Light for the World has also facilitated the blind football team’s travel to Uganda.

“At the beginning, we thought it was something unachievable. We started with only two players then we
expanded to four players,” Clement said.
“We are representing the country in the region and we hope to put the country on the global scene. I do
believe that with the happiness I have seen in the players, when we reach Uganda we will be able to do
something for our country,” he added.
The main dream for the blind football team is to use the tournament in Kampala to secure qualification
for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
Simon Madol Akol, head coach of South Sudan blind football said he has instilled a winning mentality
among his players with the aim of achieving national pride.
“We know that when we win. We will be able to bring South Sudanese together because South Sudan
has been facing a lot of challenges starting from the economic crisis, political instability and also natural
disasters,” he said.

“Sport is the only main tool that we can use to ensure that we bring people together, which is one of the
things South Sudan needs right now,” he added.