0:00
I first pictured blind football being impossible
0:07
I first heard from him, he was saying they are going to play football
0:12
I was worried and surprised. I was imagining how blind people do play football
0:21
I couldn't believe. So today right from here we are having a game, blind football match between my team
0:52
strong spirits and Red Angels. So I think those guys are ready. Hope is going to go well
1:00
My team is, we are ready emotionally. We are waiting for the challenge
1:10
We are heading to a match. Okay, it is the Red Angels, my team
1:14
versus stronger spirits. I'm very excited whenever I have a match
1:25
That match, I know there's a lot I can achieve. I lost my sight when I was six years old
1:40
I suffered from cerebral malaria. And it was really Christmas time. and was in the village
1:46
And so our health workers usually Christmas time, they usually leave. So when they leave, so I got sick during that time
1:56
and he discharged us before I was properly treated. So it affected my eyes
2:05
and the optic nerve particularly was affected, so I lost my sight
2:09
By the time I could go to a bigger hospital, they couldn't recover the sight
2:14
When I joined school, I found my joy. There were sports, we could participate in sports, athletics. We'd play just normal football. People who have some little vision and us would join and just play a game
2:31
I used to play this blind football right from primary school
2:41
It was also a blind school. It used to have this kind of a game like blind football
2:48
When I reached the campus, I started playing professional blind football because from primary and secondary it wasn professional because we did not like to follow the rules
3:03
At first, as I was told, he was six when I was four
3:08
Then he got some sickness, but within some shortest time, I heard that his husband got blind
3:18
Now I was really worried. Then what came into my mind is that how is he going to survive on this planet
3:27
Even I was surprised that he's at school, he's reading, he went to secondary school, now has completed campus
3:37
I first heard from him, he was saying they are going to play football
3:42
I was worried and surprised. I was imagining how blind people do play football
3:50
I couldn't believe. But at one time he could go there, practice, do what, then he came with some videos on his phone
4:02
But they could play. You see that they are really enjoying. I first pictured the blind football being impossible because someone took something you cannot see
4:20
it is quite different. Now, when I saw these people when they are playing football
4:26
I got also interested. When I saw Sengangola playing football, it was interesting because I was trying to dodge some people
4:36
and I wondered how he could manage it to see that this is the opponent
4:41
Let me dodge him this side where there is no another opponent
4:50
My name is Diago Mzaffal and I'm the founder and chairman of Blind Football Uganda
4:57
The biggest issue that made me go to Blind Football, I can talk over the limited sporting opportunities that are there for people with visual impairments
5:09
So when you look at football, in every home where I go to, there is a football being played
5:15
So that inspired me to start football, but also widen the opportunities for people with disabilities or with visual impairment to widen the opportunities to participate in sports
5:27
The idea for blind football, Uganda starting the organization in general, was inspiration from abroad
5:33
I looked at videos on the YouTube and I used to see people there playing and I wondered if we can also have it in Uganda
5:41
Blind football is played on cross surface at Fisher turf. The kind of space we use is
5:48
40 by 20 meters and some of the rules that apply to 11 side football is not applied in blind football For example we don have offsides we don have throw
6:02
We use 20 minutes for each half and we always have guides behind the goals
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to tell them when to shoot and when they can maybe manoeuvre, how they can manoeuvre around
6:16
The ball we use in blind football is, it has a sound system in it
6:21
Whenever it moves, it makes a sound. And that's how all people who are playing
6:28
then they can throw the ball and then they can play around with it. When I joined Blind Football Uganda
6:37
of course I was loving with a game. Went online, got the rules, the international rules for Blind Football
6:47
Went through them, went on YouTube, asked my brother to describe for me how those guys are playing, how they control the balls
6:55
My family learned that I joined blind football. Yeah, they were quite excited
7:00
Of course, they know that I love football and sports, and they're so curious
7:06
They wanted to see how I played. So when I went home, I had captured a bit of videos on my phone
7:13
So I showed them the videos. They were excited. They were asking me questions
7:19
So they were wondering whether we didn't knock each other. I described how the game flows
7:24
Because I wasn't used to do, to like, to the sound of the ball, yeah
7:30
We used to knock, yeah? Sometimes you run so fast, yeah? And you knock the wall, we knock the stones
7:38
Like wherever I'm going to train, sometimes I come with my mom
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So my mom supports me so, so much. and it's a way that I play this blind football
7:51
I like so much coaching blind football because whenever I'm with these guys
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I learn new things from them. Challenges of coaching blind football, you have to come and talk to those people
8:13
Not tell them you go there. You have to be part of what you're telling them
8:22
Me, myself, I love brand football. It is in me. And you can't separate me from brand football right now
8:33
That's why wherever they are, I'm always there. Yes. Today, we are closing off our calendar year
8:45
Thank you One of the challenges we face is the equipment we use then the facilities we use also
9:18
We don't have the standard or adapted sports facilities that can help us to practice our sport
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And also we lack the funding that we can also use to buy our equipment
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and even pay a few of our volunteers and even the medical staff
9:38
For anyone who is visually impaired, to play sports, it is good
9:44
because there is some opportunities and there is chances to go out like the way it is in athletics
9:54
The players get, they gain independence in their daily life because if you move around
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this can help them to understand and move easily how to manoeuvre around with obstacles
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Another thing is also it helps their mental health, improve their mental health
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For example when you look at some people may be locked out or they are always in homes, they don't move out
10:24
But this can help them to change the environment, understand people, socialise and network with people
10:32
Just like any other sports and these team sports from football, I learned cooperation and leadership
10:38
and that I'm the team leader on the team, on the pitch, on the captain
10:44
I have to keep discipline, but also keep reminding my colleagues on what to do
10:51
and them guiding me. When we are playing, if we have a lot of fans outside the world in the field
11:02
when we have supporters, we are playing, supporters are there. when the crowd is big, when we are playing, so that's my best moment because it shows some inclusiveness that people are supporting us
11:20
The future is bright, that's what I can tell you, the future is bright
11:27
Yeah, I'm a fan of Manchester United. My favourite player, they're like four
11:35
The first one was Anthony DeSantos and Yucurisano Ronaldo. My favorite player is Fabregas has played for Arsenal
11:45
My favorite player in Arsenal right now is Bukai Saka
