The mind's therapy is through football

On the expanse of green grass, the sound of crutch collisions with the ground resonates rhythmically, blending with the breath and spirited shouts. They struggle fiercely to seize the ball, moving with one leg, while the goalkeeper stands ready with one arm.

Here, physical limitations are not an end, but a beginning to rekindle dreams that were once broken. From the sidelines, a middle-aged man sits in a wheelchair, intently observing the game. He is Abdul Syakur (51), a man born in Surabaya who turns the wheels of his chair into a vehicle of hope for people with disabilities.

Behind the glittering achievements on the green field, there are silent heroes working at the grassroots. In Surabaya, the man known as Syakur takes on this role. As the Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian Amputee Football Association for the City of East Java and a member of the Amputee Football Association of Surabaya (Persas), this father of two transforms into a talent scout for aspiring disabled athletes.

Along with two of his colleagues, Syakur collaborates with the Social Services of Surabaya and East Java and the local police to track down information on traffic accident victims or other incidents that result in disabilities.

With 'house-to-house visits,' he knocks on doors to meet those who might be confined to their rooms, having lost self-esteem. There, Syakur offers football not just as a sport, but as therapy for soul recovery. His goal is to embrace the disabled to dispel feelings of inferiority, encourage them to open up, and rediscover their meaning and self-worth.

He also reaches out to students who were amputated due to the collapse of the mushalla building at Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Buduran, Sidoarjo. Without hesitation, he traverses narrow alleys challenging for his wheelchair. His arrival aims to meet the survivors' parents and the school's administrators to offer a glimmer of hope amidst ongoing trauma.

In those simple rooms, he and his colleagues introduce the world of amputee football to the survivors. He shares bits of his experience, instills seeds of courage, and strives to rekindle the love and pride that may have crumbled.

To convince that physical limitations are not a death sentence for the future, Syakur shows tangible evidence from the sweat poured by him and his team. Behind all facility limitations, there lies a mental fortitude that cannot be underestimated.

There are several achievements he has carved, such as the runner-up of the Menpora Cup in 2022 and 2023, runner-up of the Jember Regent's Cup 2023, and runner-up of the Malang City Police Chief's Cup 2024. On crutches and a wheelchair, Syakur breaks through physical boundaries. Through football, he proves that the body might be imperfect, but hope deserves to soar beyond all.

As a talent scout, since 2022, there have been four children under his care. He designs training programs in a measured manner and regularly monitors the development of his protégés, including through video evaluations. On the field, players are trained gradually, from adapting to using crutches to running techniques. His dedication even goes beyond technical matters on the field, often with his colleagues, not hesitating to take turns driving players who have transportation challenges.

Moreover, fueled by collective spirit and facility support from donors, he and the Persas management regularly hold football training sessions twice a week, involving 12 amputee footballers. His dedication eventually bore sweet fruit with the emergence of proud athletes like Sirilus Siko and Ilham Zam Zami, who successfully broke into the Indonesian Amputee Football National Team squad.

Text and photos: Rizal Hanafi