A different kind of soccer World Cup will be held in Argentina in October. The city of Crespo plays host to the 2010 Amputee Football World Cup.

Not surprisingly African teams are well represented in international amputee soccer competitions. A large player pool is an unwelcome side effect of civil wars, regional conflicts and brutal ethnic violence.

This year’s World Cup was originally slated for last year but the host city of Novo Friburgo in Brazil withdrew its support at the last minute much to the dismay of the teams scheduled to compete.

“teams around the world lost thousands of dollars in non-refundable airline tickets, damaging the reputations of national amputee football associations around the world, and worst of all, crushing the hopes of players who dreamed of competing in a world championship tournament.”

Ghana are the current African champions but Sierra Leone are considered one of the favorites for this year’s World Cup.

Photo courtesy of Justin Hane.