Sports
For the first time in history, Nigerian Amputee football team, participated in the World Amputee Football Federation in Mexico; thanks to generous Nigerians
By Benprince Ezeh
DESPITE financial constrains, the Nigerian Amputee team participated in the just concluded World Amputee Football Federation, WAFF, in Mexico.
Unfortunately, the team could not progress beyond the group stage after finishing third in the group. The Nigerian team lost its first match 6-0 to Brazil and also lost 3-0 in the second to the defending champions Russian before eventually making history by beating El Salvador 1-0 in the final group match.
It was the first time the Nigerian team was taking part in the tournament after missing the three previous editions for which it had qualified. But the team could not make because of lack of support from the Nigerian government.
The team, however, broke the jinx this time around. With the determination to participate in the tournament, the amputee team nicknamed ‘Special Eagles’ resorted to crowd-funding online to get money for flights and basic needs such as food and proper equipment. The response was very poor. With a £52,000 target, only a paltry £205 was raised.
The poor response showed that Nigeria’s treatment of its Amputee Football Team is in stark contrast to how the country national football team is treated. While the Super Eagles enjoy the attention of the nation, The Special Eagles, is relatively unknown.
That notwithstanding, the team was eventually attracted the attention of some prominent sports-loving personalities who gave their support. Amaju Pinnick, the president, Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, donated $5,000 to the team, while the NFF gave the team N2.5 million. This enabled the team to resume preparation for the world Cup.
The team similarly got help from Mikel Obi, the Super Eagles captain, who provided flying tickets for two players as well as kits and strips for the whole team.
However, the 31-year-old midfielder, who currently plies his trade at Tianjin Teda in Chinese Super League, was not part of the Super Eagles squad that gifted the Special Eagles about N6 million. The Super Eagles led by Ogenyi Onazi during the two legged qualifier against Libya between October 13 and 18, offered their financial support to the Amputee team after hearing about the difficulty in raising necessary funds for the team to participate in the World Cup tournament.
In the same vein, Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president of Nigeria, also assisted by giving the team N10 million. All these added up enabled the team to participate at the World Cup in San Juan and Guadalajara, Mexico.
The Special Eagles on their return to the country on Saturday, November 9, said that the Sports ministry has promised to put the team in its future budget to avoid another embarrassing experience.
– Nov. 12, 2018 @ 15:59 GMT |
Tags: Nigerians give Nigerian Amputee Team World Cup Debut
