Rollen Marakim and Mohd Azwan Azhar hope to create history in India and inspire future generations of blind footballers.
They are part of the national blind football team that will play in the Blind Football Asian Championship from Nov 9-21 in Kerala, India.
The tournament is a qualifier for the Blind Football World Championships, which will take place at the International Blind Sports Federation World Games in Birmingham, England, next year.
Malaysia has never qualified for the ‘World Cup’, but the duo was part of the national team who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2017 World Championships.
“Five years ago, we were minutes from qualifying for the World Cup when we led South Korea 3-1, before losing 4-3 in a group match of the Asian tournament,” said Rollen, a customer service officer at a private hospital.
“We only needed to hold on for a few minutes but crumbled to concede three late goals.
“Perhaps God thought it was not the right time for us and wanted to teach us to be more patient.
“That is why it has taken us another five years to be ready.
“My goal is for us to finish among the top two in the group to qualify for the semifinals. That should guarantee us a place in the world event.”
Azwan, the team’s main striker, who top-scored when Malaysia won the 2017 Asean Para Games gold medal, echoed his captain’s sentiments and added that they hope to inspire blind children to pick up the sport.
“It was crushing not to qualify for the World Games five years ago. We have not stopped training, and we are confident of qualifying this year,” said the reflexologist.
“We want to be an inspiration to youths that a disability cannot stop you from dreaming big.”
Rollen, a defender, added it was the team’s love for the game that helped them overcome hardship and adversity.
“If I am honest, it is tiring juggling work life with training.
“One of the difficulties we blind players face is transport. We all depend on e-hailing rides. There are times that we cannot get one when we need it,” said the 32-year-old.
“Sometimes, some players are late to their jobs, and we have to ‘fight’ with the bosses.
“It is only because we hope to create history in India that we do not mind the hassle.”
Separately, ALTY Orthopaedic Hospital (ALTY) will support the team as a strategic healthcare partner through its #Sports4All programme.
Through this partnership, ALTY will support athletes who are blind or visually impaired by offering physiotherapy, sports tapes, pre-competition health screenings, and educational workshops on injury prevention and rehabilitation.
ALTY’s head of business development and marketing, Nathalie Seroux, said the hospital also hopes to work with women’s rugby.
“Our #Sports4All is a programme of helping those who might not be as famous as others in their sports-related activities. That is one of the reasons we are working with blind football as they need all the support they can get,” said Seroux, who added most Malaysians do not take good care of their bones.
Early this month, the Malaysian Society of Ophthalmology stepped up as a sponsor for the blind football team.
