Kampala (AFP) - Yona Sabri Ellon cannot see the ball at his feet, but he can hear it. A faint rattle guides him past a defender and he fires into the back of the net.

Ellon has taken his South Sudanese blind football team a step closer to their dream of playing at the 2028 Paralympics in California.

The 22-year-old striker is representing South Sudan’s “Bright Stars”, making their international debut at the inaugural men’s blind football tournament in Uganda this week.

It’s about more than football for him.

“I need to score more to remove the negative perception (of blind people) from people in our country,” he told AFP after the match.

Blind football uses a bell in the ball to direct players on the five-a-side teams, using the Spanish word “voy” (“I’m coming”) constantly to let others know where they are.

South Sudan’s team began humbly five years ago with just two players, under the guidance of sighted head coach Simon Madol Akol.

“There is so much potential within people who are having different types of disabilities that needs to be unlocked,” he said.

- Challenges -

Akol grew the team to 40 members, representing a cross-section of tribes from South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation and one that continues to face conflict and ethnic tensions.

“It is through football that we will achieve lasting peace in South Sudan,” said Ellon, one of eight who made the trip to Kampala.

Ellon lost his sight due to glaucoma, aged 10. For years he stopped attending school, certain the end of his vision meant the end of his education and of his love for football.

The “Bright Stars” changed that.

“Challenges have become our best friend,” he said.

There are many of those.

South Sudan’s public football fields are torn up with holes, treacherous for visually impaired players.

There is only one safe pitch and they must pay to use it, said coach Akol.

The country’s official paralympic committee was only set up a month ago after a decade of trying to register.

But the first-of-its-kind mini-tournament in Kampala, which also featured teams from Uganda and Zimbabwe, is a chance for greater visibility.

“Showing that people with disabilities can contribute… and even one day represent their country – that’s what those guys have done,” said Robert Kidd, communications advisor at Light for the World, a nonprofit which has supported the South Sudanese players since 2020.

- ‘Loved and proud’ -

In the stands in Kampala, a small but passionate crowd cheered the players on.

Jalia Nankwanga, a law student at Makerere University, skipped lectures to attend the first match on Monday, rooting for the Ugandan team.

Nankwanga is blind herself but a friend helped her follow the game.

“When I see my fellow blind (people) on the field, I feel loved and proud,” she said, adding that she was now inspired to play herself.

The final game took place on Wednesday between South Sudan and Uganda, heavy with tension.

It took until the second half for South Sudan’s captain Martin Ladu Paul to put away a penalty, triggering chants of “SSD, SSD” – short for South Sudan – from the stands.

South Sudan went on to win 3-0, but both teams took a step towards a qualifying place for the Paralympics.

“Participating in the championship like this is already a win for us,” said Akol.