Blind boy teaches… football

Mr. Sanh is very passionate about local football.

As one of the brightest talents of Dong Thap football, in 2004, Sanh was promoted to the first team with Phan Thanh Binh, Doan Viet Cuong and goalkeeper Bui Tan Truong when he was still young. After that, Sanh joined the football teams of Kien Giang and Ben Tre provinces. "My family was poor, but I had a strong passion for football, so I did everything I could to pursue my passion. At the age of 10, I joined Dong Thap Province Football Club. At the age of 16, I won a starting position for Dong Thap team" - Sanh said.

The future was bright, but then an incident happened. In 2015, on the way back to his father's funeral, Sanh had an accident, his head hit the road hard, leading to blindness. Although his teammates helped him with treatment, Sanh had to sadly retire from football. Unable to play football, his love for football kept Sanh attached to the ball in a very special way: coaching football-loving children in his hometown. "After that incident, I learned Braille, massaged the blind... but I couldn't keep up because my love for football was too great" - Sanh confided.

In 2019, Mr. Sanh opened "Passion FC" to teach football to children in the Hong Ngu border area. Later, "Passion FC" changed to Phan Van Sanh community football class and taught football to children for free. Despite his enthusiasm, Mr. Sanh encountered many difficulties because he did not receive trust from parents, because many people thought "the teacher is blind, how can he teach football". Thanks to Mr. Sanh's efforts and perseverance, those prejudices gradually changed. The initial class only had 2-3 children participating, gradually the number increased and to date he has trained over 1,000 children.

Mr. Sanh’s youth soccer team is mostly poor children, students from primary to high school who love soccer. Although the class does not charge any fees, it has its own special criteria. To be accepted into the class, students must have average or above average academic performance and meet the 3 no’s: “no gaming, no swearing, no smoking”. Depending on each student’s schedule, Mr. Sanh arranges it reasonably so that the students can learn soccer in the morning, afternoon or evening.

When participating in the class, the children are taught soccer techniques, passing the ball from basic to advanced. On weekends, Mr. Sanh arranges for the children to play matches with football teams in the area. During the teaching process, Mr. Sanh is always creative to overcome difficulties. He relies on audio instructions and hand-feeling to train the children, helping them grasp techniques and tactics. “Over the years, thanks to the help of former teammates such as goalkeeper Tan Truong and other brothers, the class has been maintained. As for the daily cost of renting an artificial turf field, the children also voluntarily contribute 5,000 VND/child to pay for the practice field rental.”

With the efforts and enthusiasm of Mr. Sanh, the class size is always maintained at around 400 students, many students have the opportunity to develop their passion for football and achieve remarkable achievements in local sports tournaments. In the U13 football team of Hong Ngu district, 6/20 players are his students. With thorough training and outstanding skills, the district's football team has won the U13 football championship of Dong Thap province 3 times in a row.

That achievement cannot ignore the role of this special coach. Nguyen Ngoc Hoang, a member of Phan Van Sanh's soccer class, currently studying at Thuong Phuoc 1B Primary School, said: "In my soccer team, there are 10 students who have been taught soccer by Uncle Sanh from basic to advanced. Uncle Sanh teaches us like a family member, thanks to which we can freely pursue our passion for the round ball."

In 2023, at the football tournament for key gifted classes in Dong Thap with 53 participating teams, Mr. Sanh's team excellently won the championship. From here, many talented football players aged 9-16 have appeared to join the youth football team, not only in the district and province, but also in the youth football training center (PVF). "Every morning at 5-6 o'clock, the children take me to the football field, and in the afternoon they take me back. Their parents help with meals, so I am extremely happy," Mr. Sanh said emotionally.

The story of Phan Van Sanh is not only a testament to the power of will and perseverance, but also an inspiration for those in similar situations. He has proven that despite great challenges, one can still do great things if one has a passionate heart and love for what one wants to do.

Article and photos: NGUYEN TRINH

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/chang-trai-mu-day-bong-da-a186092.html