Daniel Awintima Akobis
Danger confronts the national deaf football team, the Black Wonders, regarding their participation in the forthcoming Africa Deaf Football Championship scheduled for Kenya this weekend.
The seeming danger is as a result of the inability of Ghana Deaf Football Association (GDFA), managers of the team, to meet the financial demand for the competition.
Vice President of the Ghana Deaf Football Association, Daniel Awintima Akobis, said the GDFA needs to raise an amount of GH¢380,000.00 to participate in the continental championship.
He stated that failure to do so would mean Ghana stands no chance of participating in the football event of the World Deaflympic Games to be staged in Brazil.
As a result, Akobis has asked for an intervention from the Youth and Sports Ministry, the National Sports Authority (NSA), individuals and corporate organisations to enable the team to get the needed exposure and also the opportunity to represent Ghana at the platform.
He said, “The GDFA has financed the three-week camping of the team that also came with daily feeding and transportation around for training sessions and trial matches.”
He added, “The support we need now will take care of the team’s air tickets, accommodation, feeding and other logistics for the period the team will stay in Kenya.
“We want to appeal to Ghanaians to come to our aid to make our deaf brothers happy. We believe that when the deaf footballers are given a decent opportunity, they can also make the nation proud.”
Twenty players have been invited by the technical team led by Head Coach, Winfred Chartey Annan and have engaged in two trial matches – drawing 2-2 with Osu Monday Stars and a 4-2 win over Soccer Masters at the Accra Stadium on Saturday.
Communication Director for the team, Ransford Lartey, said the team is expected to leave for Kenya this Thursday for the championship but the financial constraint has put them in a very difficult situation, but hopes that companies and individuals would come to their aid.
From The Sports Desk