Nigeria's Amputee Football Team Prepares for World Cup Debut

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13 July 2018 13:45 WIB

An amputee footballer on crutches plays with a ball during a training session for Nigeria's national amputee football team in a field at the national stadium in Surulere district in Lagos, Nigeria July 6, 2018. Sixteen years after Emmanuel Ibeawuchi lost a leg in a road accident, his dream of playing soccer in a World Cup is about to become a reality. He will captain Nigeria's team when it makes its debut at the Amputee Football World Cup in Mexico in October. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

13 Juli 2018 00:00 WIB

An amputee footballer on crutches plays with a ball during a training session for Nigeria's national amputee football team in a field at the national stadium in Surulere district in Lagos, Nigeria July 6, 2018. The team hopes to follow in the footsteps of Nigeria's disabled athletes who won eight gold medals at the 2016 Paralympics, along with two silver and two bronze medals, to finish 17th in the medal table and top among African countries. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

13 Juli 2018 00:00 WIB

Amputee footballers rest on crutches at a training session for Nigeria's national amputee football team in a field at the national stadium in Surulere district in Lagos, Nigeria July 6, 2018. "There is no difference between one leg and two legs in terms of football because it is the same rules," added the father-of-three who has played the game since his lower right leg was amputated a few inches below his knee. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

13 Juli 2018 00:00 WIB

Amputee footballers on crutches play with a ball during a training session for Nigeria's national amputee football team in a field at the national stadium in Surulere district in Lagos, Nigeria July 6, 2018. The amputee tournament will take place just months after the World Cup in Russia where Nigeria's team, known as the Super Eagles, failed to qualify from the group stage. The squad has been training in the commercial capital of Lagos, using crutches during games set on dusty brown soil. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

13 Juli 2018 00:00 WIB

Nigeria's national amputee football team are seen on crutches during a training session in a field at the national stadium in Surulere district in Lagos, Nigeria July 6, 2018. Like many cities across Africa, there are few facilities in public spaces for disabled people in Lagos, a city of around 23 million people. Team coach Victor Nwewe said this makes disabled athletes less visible, a factor that affects the confidence of some players. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

13 Juli 2018 00:00 WIB

Nigeria's national amputee football team gather to pray before the start of a training session in a bare field at the national stadium in Surulere district in Lagos, Nigeria July 6, 2018. "We have put it in them that they should see themselves as equally good as an able person," he said, arguing that his team, known as the Special Eagles, can outperform their counterpart's short-lived appearance at the World Cup in Russia. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

13 Juli 2018 00:00 WIB