Liberia Secures 17th Place in World Amputee Football Ranking
Liberia Amputee football team players celebrate after one of their victories at the 2022 amputee football world cup in Turkey
... Amazingly, two Liberian athletes — Darlington Sebeh and Matthew Joe — earned professional contracts in Turkey as a result of their outstanding play at the just-ended amputee world cup.
The ultimate objective, shared by every team competing in a competition, is to come out on top.
Despite not making it past the group stage of the 2022 Amputee Football World Cup held in Istanbul, Turkey, the amputee national football team of Liberia, the continent’s record champions, deserve commendation for their recent success. Liberia is currently ranked 17th on the global amputee football ranking after taking first place in the 17-24th place classification category.
The Amputee Lone Star were placed in Group A with the eventual champion Turkey, Haiti, and France. They, unfortunately, lost their first match 4-1 to Haiti and their second match 5-0 to Turkey, but manage to win their final group match with a dominant 5-0 victory over France. Despite their victory, they were unable to advance past the group stage because they came in third place in the group with just three points.
The Amputee Lone Star put on a dominant performance in the 17–24 classification category, defeating Spain 2-1, Ireland 6-3, and France 1-0 to claim the 17th position on the world ranking. Liberia, Angola, Morocco, and Tanzania were four African countries that participated in the competition. Angola, Tanzania, and Morocco are currently ranked 2nd, 5th, and 7th globally, respectively.
Turkey won their first-ever world cup title on Sunday, October 9, by defeating the reigning champion Angola 4-1 in the final.
Two Liberian Amputee Players Land Contract in Turkey
Amazingly, two Liberian athletes — Darlington Sebeh and Matthew Joe — earned professional contracts in Turkey as a result of their outstanding play at the just-ended amputee world cup. Joe and Sebeh both agreed to one-year contracts with a potential extension with Turkish club Barcilar Amputees Football Club.
How Did Liberia Qualify for the Amputee World Cup?
When Liberia demonstrated their dominance on the African continent at the 2021 Cup of African Nations for Amputee Football (CANAF), which was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, it was an amazing expedition that led them to the 2022 amputee world cup.
After defeating The Gambia 4-0 and Cameroon 3-1 in their two group matches, Liberia advanced to the quarterfinals where they defeated Morocco 2-1, securing their place in the 2022 amputee world cup by default. They eventually defeated Tanzania 2-1 in the semifinals, but they came in second after falling to Ghana 3-2 in their fifth CANAF final.
Matthew Joe, a forward for Liberia, took home the competition’s golden boot after scoring nine goals in five matches. The amputee Lone Star continues to hold the CANAF record for most titles won (3).