Pages

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Eman Sulaiman, Indonesia's One-Legged Goalkeeper

The team has managed to attract players with very decent skills and performance, including goalkeeper Eman Sulaiman, who has only one leg.

Eman was born with the disability 28 years ago and he has had to accept his condition. And even though his imperfection is a burden, it has not stopped him from participating in his favorite sport.

He has gained lot of respect from teammates and opponents alike in Glasgow, and even the spectators have been impressed. The organizers have therefore decided to award Eman with a "Hary Milas whistle" on Monday in recognition of him being the most determined and fearless player in this year's Homeless World Cup.

"I was inspired by my brothers and friends to play football," Eman told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday. "I've established a football community in my town in 2010 and tried to participate in the 2015 Homeless World Cut, but I was only accepted and fly to Glasgow this year."

The savvy goalkeeper admitted that he has no fear of other players on the pitch, despite his disability.

"No, I don't have any fears about it [disability]. Football is my hobby and I just tried to play although there are plenty who underestimate me. My parents are my source of confidence, they always support my activities, as long as it's positive," Eman said.

Representing Indonesia abroad is one of his proudest achievement, beside working as an entrepreneur in Majalengka, West Java.

"I graduated from vocational school with a major in electrical engineering, and have established an electrical workshop," he said.

"I'm very proud and happy to represent Indonesia in the Homeless World Cup," Eman said in response to a question of he feels about competing in Glasgow.

The Homeless World Cup is an annual football tournament, which involves teams from several countries.  Teams participating in the tournament usually consist of homeless people, those with disabilities, or people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).


Source: Eman Sulaiman, Indonesia's One-Legged Goalkeeper

No comments:

Post a Comment