Mohamed Osam

Documentary photographer and filmmaker
  Amputee footballer  by Mohamed Osam 
Amputee footballer
Public Project
Amputee footballer
Copyright Mohamed Osam 2024
Updated Jan 2022
Location Cairo, Egypt
Topics Disabilities, Disability, Documentary, Essays, Football, Hope, Journalism, Loss, Personal, Photography
Six years ago, Mohamed was leading a normal life, working and spending time with his family. But one fateful day, a terrible accident left him without a leg and struggling to pick up the pieces of his shattered life. "I lost everything," he says, "I had to sell everything I had just to afford a prosthetic leg and physical therapy."

It seemed as though his life was over, as he lost his job and was confined to his home. But one day, while scrolling through Facebook, he came across videos of amputee football players showing off their skills during the national team's qualification games for the Russia 2018 World Cup. It was then that a spark of hope ignited within him.

"I immediately contacted the player and asked if there was a team I could join," says Mohamed, "but unfortunately there wasn't one yet." But that didn't stop him. He and the player met up and, with the help of a volunteer coach, they were able to find other players and form their own team.

It wasn't easy, as they faced financial and logistical challenges, but they never gave up. They rented their own pitch, bought their own equipment, and even made their own uniforms. They did everything in their power to make it happen.

The bond that formed between them went beyond just the sport, they were helping each other to cope with their physical limitations and to find a new meaning in life.
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