Meet the man who introduced blind football to Uganda
Kumuso Kibwana, the founder of Blind Football, was also the founder of the Uganda Football Association and worked as a scout for the national team. The country’s only blind football team, the Blind Stars, are currently competing in the World Blind National Championships, making them the first team to do so in Africa.
The Blind Stars are playing their second edition of the competition, in an attempt to qualify for the next regional event in Brazil. The tournament has seen several players qualify for the next edition, including Bala Kibwana, who is the team’s captain and the tournament’s top scorer in recent rounds.
Kibwana worked as a scout for the national team and is responsible for introducing blind football to Uganda. He first got interested in football while living in the United Kingdom, where he saw the sighted team play their games. He also saw many matches of the UBS Blind Football Association and decided that he wanted to introduce blind football to the country.
Kibwana used many different strategies to make his dream into reality. He first approached a local organisation by offering them his services instead of directly starting his own blind football team. He then set up a football school and started working with local children to help them play football and encourage them to attend school. With funding from other organisations, he was able to setup more football schools, create a club and then start the Blind Stars.
Kibwana’s story is unique, to say the least. He used a variety of methods to accomplish his goal, but is now one of the most successful blind footballers in Africa.
In the past three years, several blind footballers have emerged from Uganda. The most prominent has been Kibwana, who has taken the Blind Stars from Ugandan football’s backwater to the top of the football world. He previously received the title of Coach of the Year by the Football Association of Europe.