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Testimony: Noor uses football to overcome landmine injuries

On this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we introduce you to Afghan players using football to overcome landmine injuries via the UEFA-ICRC partnership. Meet Noor.

17-year-old footballer Noor pictured at an ICRC rehabilitation centre
17-year-old footballer Noor pictured at an ICRC rehabilitation centre ©UEFA.com

My name is Noor and I am 17 years old. I am a junior footballer. I lost my leg about four years ago. I was going to school and there was a bomb explosion in the same road. I got badly injured by the explosion: I lost my leg and my sense of hearing for about a year.

It is very hard not to have a leg and not to be able to hear what your friends, family and everyone is talking about. I stopped going to school and lost my social life. Three months after my operation, my family moved to Kabul to find a better place for my treatments. After we settled here, my dad took me to the ICRC rehabilitation centre – that was in 2013.

When I arrived here I loved everything about the centre, the doctors were very kind to me and I got some medicine and good help from the doctors. After a while, I started to hear again and with my artificial leg I also started to walk again, maybe not like before but it's much better than just sitting around and not moving at all.

I now go to school and everyone in my family is very happy about the help I receive here. It's just great. And more importantly, if this centre was not here I think I would have killed myself. We wouldn't have been able to get out of Afghanistan for my treatment. Thank God and thank all the doctors who have provided everything for free, as we wouldn't have been able to pay for anything.

I think my life is about to get even more interesting because about 15 days ago I joined the centre's football team. I always loved playing football but for a while I thought I might never be able to play again. Now here I am, with this great team. I am happy and this is what matters to my family and to myself of course. Thanks to all the support I got from my doctors and this centre.

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By voting for your Team of the Year on UEFA.com, you will contribute to the ICRC programme for landmine victims and people with other disabilities in Afghanistan. Pick your favourite players in 2015 and score a goal for the Red Cross.

Visit the ICRC page on UEFA.com and find out how to support the ICRC rehabilitation programme beyond the Team of the Year. 

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