Simon Baker: ‘It’s the same principle: you’ve got to get the ball into the back of the net’

Simon Baker is the founder of the Irish Amputee Football Association and captain of the IAFA’s international team. That team will play the Netherlands, Ukraine and hosts Poland in an international tournament this weekend. He is also the secretary general of the European Amputee Football Federation.

Q: What are the differences between the rules of football as we know it on our TV screens and amputee football?

A: It’s the same game except in amputee football you have one bit missing! That’s either your leg, or your arm if you’re a goalkeeper. It’s the same principle though: you’ve got to get the ball into the back of the net. It’s seven-a-side and you’re not allowed to control the ball with your crutches; you can only control the ball with your one and only leg. You can’t even control the ball with your residual limb because some people are above the knee, some people are below. So it’s leg off, game on!