Sports
Zenith Sports Chairman Wants League For Amputee Football
Chairman of Zenith Sports Amputee United (ZSAU) Football Club, Paul Maduakor, last Sunday called on the Nigeria Amputee Football Federation (NAFF) to introduce league among its affiliated clubs.
Maduakor told newsmen in Lagos that the step would be proactive, create more awareness and bring rapid development to amputee football.
Tidesports source reports that Lagos-based ZSAU Football Club were silver medalist at the two-day NAFF-organised Cup of Africa Nation For Amputee Football (CANAF) national trials recently held at the National Stadium, Lagos.
“Soccer is the most popular, lucrative and widely watched sport in the world, and the uniqueness of it is amputee football which is established here; it is active in continental and intercontinental tournaments.
“There is need to give more to promote amputee football in Nigeria. As a football fan, my passion reaches out to amputee footballers.
“I am calling on NAFF to widen the scope of its activities by introducing league matches to strengthen and regularly engage footballers in clubs,” he said.
He suggested that a board should be instituted by NAFF and be saddled with responsibility of organising and managing league activities.
Maduakor said that introduction of league matches would cause more amputee clubs to spring up.
The ZSAU chairman described his commitment to the sport as a corporate social responsibility that would go a long way to inspire amputee footballers to develop abilities
“The football premier league making waves worldwide today started from somewhere.
“Amputee footballers, through the league, will prove the ability in their disability when NAFF creates the platform.
“My club ZSAU finished 2nd in the recently held national amputee trials which is a good take-off for them, and I am going to give my best to build and make ZSAU viable for the league,” he said.