Africa-Press – Angola. The National Football Team for Amputees, runner-up in the world, was honored yesterday by the MPLA, at the party’s headquarters, in Luanda, for winning the silver medal, obtained in the final game, on the 9th of this month, in front of the similar event from Turkey at the Galatasaray Stadium in Istanbul.
The vice-champions were received by the MPLA vice-president, Luísa Damião, accompanied by some members of the Political Bureau, directors and party officials.
Luísa Damião praised the players and technical staff of the runners-up: “Angola was the target of good international references thanks to your achievement. You were worthy ambassadors of our country. The Nation will be, for that, eternally grateful”.
On the occasion, the forward and spokesman for the National Team, João das Dores Chiquete, thanked the recognition and affection shown by the country’s entities and civil society.
“We are having a happy and lively afternoon. It is an extensive thank you and on behalf of the Paralympic family. We want to thank you for this tribute, because the journey was not easy”, he declared to those present.
During the reception, Chiquete made a chronology covered by the National Team in the competition, with the participation of 24 countries.
The ceremony was marked by the absence of the national coach, Cheto Baptista, due to the death, on Monday afternoon, of a niece in the city of Luena, Moxico province.
The Angolans lost in the final, against Turkey, by 4-1, at the Galatasaray Stadium. In the group stage, the National Team finished series F without defeats, with nine points, followed by Italy in the second position, with four, and Iraq in the third, with three. Uruguay was the “red lantern” with one point.
To reach the final, Angola won and beat Haiti, 4-2, in the main field of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), in the village of Riva, in the province of Istanbul.
On Monday afternoon, the runners-up were distinguished by Fundo Lwini, where they were received by the institution’s vice-president, Joana Lina. Earlier, in the morning, the National Team was received in Cidade Alta by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço.
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