Indonesia's amputee football team

A team of amputee footballers in Surabaya, Indonesia have their eye on the goal. The team, formed only a few weeks ago, is in training for a championship in the county’s capital, Jakarta.

Syaiful Arifin loved football as a child, but feared his playing days were over when he lost his left leg at the age of 12, after falling off a train. He found out about amputee football on social media.

Syaiful Arifin: "It all started from social media because no one knew about football for amputees. So, I looked it up on the internet and came across a website about amputee football in Indonesia.""

Amputee football has its own challenges. Players need to learn to work with their crutches to move around the pitch. Muhammad Komer is the team coach.

Muhammad Komar: "The most difficult thing in this kind of football is to adjust yourselves with the crutches. It's not as easy as football training with both legs. They need to coordinate different muscles when running or kicking the ball. It takes a lot of training."

The players feel that being on the pitch has helped their mental health and given them a sense of purpose. Khusnul Yakin says his life has changed since joining the team.

Khusnul Yakin: "I used to just stay at home, lacking confidence because of our physical condition. But then I thought, 'Come on, why should I be shy? We are humans just like others, even though we have disabilities.'"

A few players are still needed to make up a full team for Surabaya, but Arifin and his teammates still believe they have what it takes to win a trophy. Local resident Dendy Rohman believes that with or without a trophy the amputee football team is an inspiration.

Dendy Rohman: "They are an inspiration and a hope for the future, that you have to stand up despite your conditions so you can embrace a better future." Weniger anzeigen