Players raise epilepsy awareness

Demystifying epilepsy was the name of the game as pan-European teams of players participated in showcase matches for the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) ahead of today's UEFA European Under-21 Championship semi-finals.

Important message
The first slice of action on semi-final day in Sweden came in Gothenburg where two teams of seven players – combining talented footballers with epilepsy and former or current professionals in order to pass on the message that persons with epilepsy can excel in any aspect of daily life – played out an exciting 2-2 draw at the Gamla Ullevi.

Blues v Reds
Taking to the same field as the England and Sweden sides in a prelude to the opening semi-final, the first showcase match featured a second-half comeback by a Blue team captained by ex-Italy forward Roberto Boninsegna. A goalscorer in the 1970 FIFA World Cup final, Boninsegna could not prevent the Reds taking a 2-0 lead from the first half of the 14-minute contest – Sadik Balouati netting twice. Sammy Dieng's double strike after the interval restored parity.

Another draw
The focus then switched to Helsingborg, scene of the Italy-Germany encounter, and the second in the series of semi-final curtain-raisers organised by the ILAE and UEFA in association with the International Bureau for Epilepsy. The 14-minute match at the Olympia also finished 2-2. The Reds had former Sweden defender Roland Nilsson in the ranks but twice conceded after going in front. Goals either side of half-time by John Crawford sandwiched a Mohamed Ali strike. The Blues found a second equaliser through current Helsingborgs IF player Yakubu Alfa.

'A great help'
Alexis Arzimanoglou of the ILAE said that the games – the fruit of many months' collaboration between his organisation, UEFA and the International Bureau for Epilepsy – had been a unique opportunity to demystify the condition of epilepsy. "I really believe that the chance to have this showcase match just before the Under-21 semi-finals can show people that many of these epileptic patients can have a life at the level of their own lives; that even if they are epileptic it is possible for them to do things. That is why this showcase is a great help to the epilepsy community."

Inclusion, not exclusion
Following on from the successful social responsibility programme at UEFA EURO 2008™ last summer, this event also built on the ILAE's epilepsy awareness day that was arranged in co-operation with the French league last year. This time the idea was a European event bringing together talented players who had been recommended by their respective national chapters of the ILAE – and partnered by professional footballers. "The public doesn't know what epilepsy is and usually this leads to the exclusion of the patients. Normally they suffer more from the exclusion than from the disease itself," Arzimanoglou continued.

Valuable recognition
"What is most important for these players is the fact they can see they are involved in an international event, that they are brought here and are considered for what they do, which is playing football well – otherwise they wouldn't have been selected. At the same time they serve the cause of their own disease, because they can go to the stadium, show what they can do, talk to people about what is going on, and it serves everybody. I really take advantage of this opportunity to thank UEFA for the support they have given to this event."