Friends of Everton’ pip Black Challenge in commemorative match

Friends of Everton, a selected amputee team defeated the national amputee team, the Black Challenge 1-0 in a special match played at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday.

The match was in honour of the visiting Everton FC Disability Manager, Steve Johnson who is in the country to discuss ways of improving sports for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).

The game attracted members of the paralympic fraternity as the guest, Steve Johnson, joined the selected side and scored the only goal from the spot to win the match.

Speaking to the media after the match, Mr Johnson applauded the interest shown for paralympic sports and urged the authorities to invest in the sector which is full of talented sportsmen and women.

“I believe Ghana has a huge pool of talents across the various sporting disciplines. When they are given the needed push, they can make it in life just like their able-bodied counterparts and get a more satisfying life off the streets.”

Johnson, a three-time amputee World Cup winner and a former World Amputee Footballer of the Year award, also urged corporate bodies and individuals to support the organisation of disabled sports in the country.

He praised the level of development of disabled sports, saying, “I am very happy about how fast disabled sports have developed. It wasn’t like this in the last 10 years when I visited the country.”

“I heard there is a league for these sports and I hope they can grow them to help get more people off the streets because it is one of the major benefits the sport can provide.”

Having handed invitations to the amputee and deaf teams, Mr Johnson assured similar gestures will be offered to the other disciplines as they hope to collaborate with the Ghanaian authorities to better the lives of the disabled in sports.