Meet the man who introduced blind football to Uganda
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“The game is in our blood. Our parents and grandparents used to play it as children and the game has been passed on through generations.” So says the man who put Ghanaian blind football legend Samuel Akuffo’s dream to introduce blind football to his fatherland, Kasese League.
Samuel, now a 35-year old coach, whose father, Samuel Akuffo, was a coach of the legendary team Kasese All Stars for more than 20 years is now the coach of an emerging team called Kisese Football Club.
Samuel Akuffo was born in the tiny town of Mpanda in the district of Kyankwanam in Uganda’s Ankole-Gumuz region on March 8, 1963. He was one of seven children and had to leave school at the age of five to go home to work in the fields.
Samuel would also go home every single day and play football with his father when he was little. He was also encouraged by his father to play football by his mother who was a keen footballer as well. At the age of five, Samuel and his father had to leave school as they were too busy looking after their younger siblings.
Samuel played football with his father for more than 20 years before he could even walk. The father of the famous Kasese League footballers was also a good footballer. He played his school football against his elder sister who was a goalkeeper and a member of the first team of Uganda Schoolgirls Football Team along with Samuel. Samuel then trained with his brother who owned the team and he trained under the legendary coach Mutebi, a coach of the famous team that won the Ugandan Premier League title in 2006.
Samuel’s love for the game was also sparked by his father who was a regular player and coach to the famous Kasese All Stars team for 20 years. Coach Samuel Akuffo later said that during his time as a player he used to be very fond of playing in different games and this prompted him to play football with his father who was a keen footballer.
As a youth Samuel was a keen footballer and he played against other players at every opportunity. He eventually became a football-mad youth who was able to play with all types of players, from goalkeepers to