By Ebenezer Zor & Naa Kwaamah Ankrah
The third edition of the Cup of African Nations for Amputee Football (CANAF) was launched on Tuesday at Alisa Hotel in Accra under the theme “Let’s be passionate about our passion.”
But the success of the event will depend on the kind of support it enjoys from the media and to that end, Mr. Francis Adjetey Sowah, president of the Amputee Football Federation of Africa (AFFA) has appealed to the media to contribute their quota to promotion the game of amputee football which has gained international recognition.
Addressing newsmen at the launch in Accra, Mr. Sowah, who doubles as the Ghana Amputee Football Federation (GAFF) chairman said “Football is a good platform to promote the laudable concept of bringing Africa together to share common goals and aspirations”.
Ghana, represented by the ‘Black Challenge’, won the maiden edition hosted by Sierra Leone but failed to participate in the second edition hosted by Liberia due to financial constraints and hoped that Ghana will makes amends with the hosting of the next edition slated for October, 15-25, 2011 at the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium.
Out of the 12 nations expected to participate in the 10 days soccer fiesta, only five nations, including Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Niger and Angola have confirmed their participation, Mr. Sowah, adding that the GAFF is in still holding discussion with others like South Africa, DR Congo, Algeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Mali.
He said as a part of the preparations to ensure that Ghana hosts and wins CANAF 2011, the National Amputee Team, the Black Challenge will engage in some international matches in July to put the team in shape for the October tournament.
The GAFF boss commended the government for the tremendous support offered to the national association that saw the Black Challenge to become the first African country to ever reach the quarter-finals of the Amputee World Cup in Argentina.
Launching the event, the CEO of Krypton Ghana Limited, Mr. Neil Armstrong Mortagbe intimated that the media should allow the theme of CANAF to reflect in their reportage.
He opined that the Ghana Amputee team can upset the apple-cart in the tournament and called on Ghanaians to patronize the event to support the team.
In a solidarity message, the CEO of the Emperor Gaza International Foundation, a sponsor for the event, Mr. Prince Charles Sackeyfio stated that, CANAF 2011 will be an opportunity to lend support to the less privileged in society, saying, “Who have through one incident or the other been denied the privilege of leading a normal life as any other person”.
“We decided to lend a hand to the GAFF not only to organize CANAF, but also to create a platform that would pave the way to see the welfare of the playing body of the team.
“Emperor Gaza International Foundation, a Non-Government Organization (NGO) seeks among others, to promote the can do spirit in the youth and people with disability, to play a pivotal role in the development of their skills and the community” he noted.
The function was attended by a representative from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Mr. Solomon Mensah and representatives from All For One Supporters Unions, Bob Okala and others.
Source: Ghanaian Times.
