WEARING a blindfold, Jimmy Just Augustine, a 23-year-old South Sudanese who plays for the Shining Star Blind Football team can be seen on a hot Tuesday afternoon tussling it out with an opponent for the ball with sound devices on artificial turf.

Augustine, who is visually impaired, is among a new crop of footballers aspiring to represent his club, and country at the regional and international level as the game of blind football gains traction in South Sudan.

He was among several players who were honored with medals at a match organized by Light for the World NGO to mark International White Cane Safety Day, celebrated annually every Oct.15 to highlight the need for inclusivity for people with disabilities.

“We are not seeing, we use our ears to hear the jingling sound of the ball then we follow the ball,” Augustine said. His team recently lost to Buluk, a team composed of people with normal vision in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

“In the past it was not easy, as we were knocking ourselves. Now we can control and shoot the ball, and we are also able to run with the ball,” he added.

Augustine is among the 85 South Sudanese fully trained in blind football.

Blind football is an adapted form of five-a-side football, played with an audible ball on a pitch surrounded by kick-boards — a physical barrier indicating the touchlines — and without the offside rule.

“I want to tell the rest of my colleagues, and the general public that disability is not inability; the visually-impaired can do anything that a ‘normal’ person can do,” said Augustine.

Simon Madol Akol, a 24-year-old head coach of South Sudan blind football who trains Augustine, said having introduced the game in 2020, they are now on the right track to promote blind football beyond Juba.

“We want to expand blind football to other states, because we have successful examples in Juba,” said Akol.

“We have been promoting the sport in schools training kids to play blind football; previously they didn’t get a chance to play with their peers who can see,” he added.

Akol said the blind football association is currently not registered with the government, adding that he hopes to build his young team to represent the country at tournaments.

“We wanted to come up with something to get the visually impaired to participate in; then we thought of blind football,” he said.

“People are curious how the blind can play football. There are rules and guidelines that govern blind football, and we use our ears instead of eyes to play the game,” said Akol.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), in partnership with Light for the World, has supported blind football in South Sudan.

The football project is being implemented by South Sudan Association for the Visually Impaired (SSAVI).

Esbon Umbo Jacob, a 20-year-old teammate of Augustine who became visually impaired at 7, said they have gained lots of experience in blind football after playing many matches.

“We have won two games since we started blind football, the first match we played was in 2021, and won a trophy, and today’s match is the first we have lost,” he said.

David Magok, a 16-year-old sighted member of the Buluk football team that occasionally trains and plays with the visually impaired team of Shining star, said blind football will help promote equality and peace in South Sudan.

Blind football is a variation of futsal designed for players who are visually impaired.

It is currently a Paralympics sport; the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) also organizes a World Championship.

(Xinhua)