Idlib, Syria – Abdul Kader Yusuf stands on the sidelines, leaning on his crutches and looking nervously at the pitch. He then turns to his teammates to encourage them before the start of their first match of the competition.
Yusuf has been playing football since he was eight, but the 30-year-old lost his leg 10 years ago.
“I have loved football since childhood and this love still runs through my veins,” he said.
He played for Al-Karmah, one of the oldest football clubs in Asia, based in Homs, Syria until the 2011 Arab Spring.
President Bashar al-Assad’s government responded to the protests by killing hundreds of demonstrators and imprisoning many.
“With the start of the Syrian revolution, I stopped playing football for about four years,” he recalled.
Yusuf and his family were displaced to northern Syria in 2014 after a nearly two-year siege by al-Assad regime forces.
“A year after our displacement, there was an airstrike by the Assad regime on Idlib … my right leg was amputated,” Youssef said.
can’t leave
“It was a shock [but] I couldn’t give up. Amputees are victims of society’s perception. Some mock us, some pity us.
Youssef began looking for work to support his family, working as a barber and taxi driver, but he never forgot his love for football.
In 2016, he formed a football team, Al Tahddi (Defiance), together with friends.
Youssef was finally able to return to the football pitch, an “indescribable feeling”, he said, “especially since we were all amputees, it gave me hope”.
Al Tahddi began playing against other teams in Idlib and Aleppo, unable to travel to international tournaments due to financial and logistical problems.
As the world’s leading athletes line up for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, Youssef and Al Tahddi took part in the first domestic Paralympics organized by the Syrian NGO Violet.
More than 300 players marched to the opening ceremony on August 27 at Idlib’s municipal stadium.
“These 333 heroes – men, women and children – will compete in five locations in northwest Syria,” Violet’s Ibrahim Sarmani told Al Jazeera.
Sports include karate, table tennis, swimming, goalball, football, volleyball, chess, powerlifting and para-athletics.
“A large crowd attended the opening, which reflects the community’s belief in supporting war victims and people with disabilities,” Sarmani said.
‘beginning’
In their first game, Al Tahddi was against top contenders Al Ruwad, who started strongly with goals in the third and 12th minutes.
Al-Ruwad held on to their 2-0 lead until the 25th minute when Youssef dribbled past two players and passed to his teammate, who slotted home.
At half-time, Youssef bemoaned his team’s slow start but hoped they would make a comeback in the second half.
But as the second half began, Al Tahddi collapsed, conceding two more goals in the first 10 minutes.
While they managed to score one more goal, the match ended with a 5–2 win for Al Ruwad and Al Tahddi were eliminated.
Yusuf was despondent but did not lose all hope.
“This championship will serve as a launch for Al Tahddi.”
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