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Indonesia's amputee footballers - 13th May 2022

This amputee football team from Surabaya, Indonesia, is training hard. The amputee players are people who’ve lost a leg. They're preparing for a competition in Jakarta.

Syaiful Arifin enjoyed playing football as a child. But he lost his leg at 12 after falling from a train. He gave up on playing until he found 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 is challenging. Players must use their crutches to move around quickly on the pitch. Muhammad Komer coaches the team.

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."

Being on the team has helped the players' mental health. It's also given them a new interest. Khusnul Yakin says it's made him feel more confident.

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.'"

The team still needs more players, but they are confident they can still win a trophy. Dendy Rohman lives in Surabaya. He says if the amputee footballers win or lose, they will always be 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."