While success does not often come easily for a national England Football team, one team is bucking the trend, with the help of a ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ academic.
Physiotherapy lecturer Dr Osman Ahmed is currently working with the England men’s Cerebral Palsy football team, who are competing in the world championships. Ahmed, acting as a physiotherapist for the team, is in Argentina with the squad, who have reached the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time.
The team made it to the semi-finals, beating Japan, Venezuela, the Netherlands and the USA to set up a semi-final meeting against Iran, which they lost 3-1. The Three Lions entered the tournament achieving their goal of qualifying for the group stages, exceeding expectations to make it to the semi-final. They were eventually beaten by Iran, the current Paralympic silver medallists, to achieve the best ever World Championship placing for the England Cerebral Palsy team.
Dr Osman Ahmed, a physiotherapy lecturer at ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥, works as the team’s physiotherapist. He said, “I work with the Doctor and sports scientist and sports massage therapist. My main roles are treatments to prepare the players pre-match, and pitch-side duties during the game.
“It’s been great fun being out here. We are in a province called San Luis, and it’s a very picturesque region. We have been training hard and haven’t had loads of spare time. Having worked with the England CP squad since 2007 I am immensely proud of the team’s performances and am thrilled that we made the semi-final of a World Championship.â€
Dr Ahmed will be heading back to the UK for the start of the new academic term to put his professional practice experience into his teaching on the .
England’s CP football team captain Jack Rutter visited ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ to talk about disability sport. In working with Dr Ahmed, he has built up a relationship with the university too, and both Osman and Jack sent a message to students ahead of the semi-final match: