Ghanaian amputee footballers visit AfPC President prior to African Para Games

Amputee footballers visited AfPC President Samson Deen, centre, prior to the African Para Games ©African Paralympic Committee

Turkish-based Ghanaian amputee footballers have travelled back to their home country to pay a visit to African Paralympic Committee (AfPC) President Samson Deen prior to the Accra 2023 African Para Games.

Ghana National Amputee Football Team captain Richard Opentil Arthur led the delegation to the capital.

He was joined by Mubarik Mohammed, Allotey Emmanuel, and Hamza Mohammed.

The players presented Deen with a football shirt that was worn in the final game of the Turkish Süper Lig season which ended last month.

Amputee football is one seven sports set to be contested at this year's African Para Games.

The event is scheduled to take place for the first time from September 3 to 12.

Yesterday, Turkish-based Ghanaian Amputee footballers started arriving for the 2023 Accra Para Games.

These players paid visit to the president of @Afpcparalympic,@samson_deen at the AFPC secretariat.

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— NATIONAL PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE-GH (@ParalympicGh) July 1, 2023

There were doubts over whether Ghana would be able to compete in the amputee football competition as it was banned by the World Amputee Football Federation (WAFF).

The country had been serving a 12-year ban which the WAFF implemented in 2018 after Ghana failed to form a side to participate at the Amputee World Cup in Mexico.

This would have kept them out of international competition until 2030, but it has now been lifted following the WAFF's Extraordinary Congress.

Deen has led the country's efforts for reinstatement.

He stated the news was "great" for amputee football in Ghana, with the hosts now planning to assemble a "formidable" team for the African Para Games.

Liberia, Angola, Tanzania, Morocco, Kenya, Cameroon, Uganda, Nigeria and Rwanda have also been named for the Games' amputee football competition.