VIDEO SHOWS: PLAYERS PLAYING DURING BLIND FOOTBALL MATCH / BALL ROLLING ON GROUND MAKING SOUNDS / INTERVIEW WITH BLIND FOOTBALL PLAYERS SHOWS: KAMPALA, UGANDA (OCTOBER 29, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all) 1. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS PLAYING DURING BLIND FOOTBALL MATCH 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH SUDAN NATIONAL BLIND FOOTBALL TEAM PLAYER, MAYIIK CHOK, SAYING: "Simon, our coach, he told me that you should come and join us, as I opened the football blind team. So he said that you should come and join so I got interested, because I was willing to be also playing football." 3. UGANDA AND SOUTH SUDANESE TEAM CAPTAINS HOLDING THEIR RESPECTIVE FLAGS 4. UGANDA NATIONAL BLIND FOOTBALL TEAM PLAYERS WALKING ONTO PITCH 5. PLAYERS FROM BOTH COUNTRIES LINED UP IN FIELD FOR NATIONAL ANTHEMS / REFEREES STANDING IN BETWEEN THE TEAMS 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH SUDAN NATIONAL BLIND FOOTBALL TEAM PLAYER, MAYIIK CHOK, SAYING: "I just feel happy, because now we can easily be seen outside, like the people who are not disabled, that (with) the way that they play. So I'm feeling so excited of what has happened to us." 7. VARIOUS OF PLAYERS PLAYING DURING BLIND FOOTBALL MATCH 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH SUDAN CAPTAIN, MARTIN PAUL LADU, SAYING: "People have been mocking me when I was still like, let me say seven, eight years old, because they will bring a stone in front of me, for me to shoot. They will say that this is the ball. My mom suffered a lot. Actually, I will give thanks for my mom, because she was there for me." 9. GOALKEEPER THROWING THE BALL TO THE PLAYERS 10. PLAYER DRIBBLING THE BALL WITH A JINGLING SOUND / OTHER PLAYERS FOLLOWING HIM 11. PLAYER KICKING THE BALL AFTER WHISTLE SOUND 12. PLAYER KICKING THE BALL / OTHER PLAYERS RUNNING AFTER THE BALL / BALL ROLLING ON GROUND MAKING SOUNDS 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH SUDAN COACH, SIMON MADOL AKOL, SAYING: "Our ball is having a jingling sound when you throw it down, it rolls. You can be able to hear it. And in most cases, we tell our players to be paying attention to the ball and listening to the guides, because this is the centre of the whole sport." 14. SOUTH SUDAN TEAM COACH TALKING TO PLAYERS 15. PLAYER KICKING BALL TOWARDS THE GOALPOST / GOALKEEPER CATCHING THE BALL 16. GOALKEEPER THROWING THE BALL TO THE PLAYERS 17. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH SUDAN CAPTAIN, MARTIN PAUL LADU, SAYING: "Its been a long time we have been together, actually, that's why we have been communicating very well in the pitch. We have been together for five years with the team. At first, it's very difficult to communicate with each other, but three years on the road, we now know each other. We captured everyone's voice, even the coach's voice, even the guide's voice, now we know who is playing very well on the left, who is playing very well on the right." 18. PEOPLE FLYING THE SOUTH SUDAN FLAG IN THE FIELD / SOUTH SUDAN TEAM PLAYERS CELEBRATING 19. VARIOUS OF SOUTH SUDAN PLAYERS CELEBRATING 20. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH SUDAN COACH, SIMON MADOL AKOL, SAYING: "It's really an exciting movement, not for only me, but for people back home, especially the community of people who are having different types of disabilities. And you know, for disability movement and also the peace messages that we are sharing, you have seen how these athletes are cheering up, and they are from different tribes. They came from different communities, so we know how this one is going to utilize the community back home, and how they are going to celebrate together." 21. VARIOUS OF TROPHIES ON THE TABLE 22. SOUTH SUDAN TEAM LISTENING AS THEY ARE DECLARED WINNERS / TEAM BEING HANDED A TROPHY 23. VARIOUS OF SOUTH SUDAN PLAYERS CELEBRATING STORY: In a country where access to basic services remains uneven and sport for people with disabilities is still rare, South Sudan’s blind football team reached a new milestone, competing in its first international tournament and winning the final. The team competed at the inaugural Division 2 of the Blind Football African Championship in Kampala, Uganda, organised by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), which oversees blind football globally. Division 2 was introduced to give emerging teams like South Sudan a pathway to compete internationally and qualify for future Paralympic Games, while more established teams play in Division 1. South Sudan's debut reflected five years of grassroots effort to build the sport from scratch. Formed in 2020 with two players and a borrowed ball, the team now has more than 40 members who train regularly and compete at national level. Blind football is played with a ball that produces a jingling sound, allowing players to track its movement by ear. Guides stand behind the goalposts, tapping the posts and calling out instructions to help players orient themselves. “If you don’t listen to the guide or the sound of the ball, it becomes hard to play,” said coach Simon Madol Akol, who has led the team’s development from scratch. For the players, adapting to the game meant learning to rely on sound and coordination. Team captain Martin Paul Ladu said it took time to build communication, but years of training helped the squad understand each other’s voices and movements. “At first, it was difficult,” Ladu said. “But now we know who plays well on the left, who covers the right, and how to respond to the coach and the guide.” The squad includes players from different tribes and regions. Coach Akol says the team’s collaboration promotes inclusion and unity, especially in a country that has experienced years of internal conflict. South Sudan won the tournament, defeating hosts Uganda 3–0 in the final. The victory secured their place in Division 1 and officially qualified the team for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. (Production: Leon Kigozi, Mukelwa Hlatshwayo) (The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)
