Abdulla Karim: The Messi of Powerchair Football

Australia was one of 10 teams that competed at the 2017 Power Wheelchair World Cup held in the United States earlier this month and made it through to the semi-finals.

Karim won the MVP after some stunning performances, but what makes his accomplishments even more remarkable is that he was born with no arms and controls his specially made electric wheelchair with his left foot.

Powerchair Football is the only team sport in the world created exclusively for power wheelchair users.

It is played in 27 countries and governed by FIPFA, with A-League sides Western Sydney Wanderers, Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners, Melbourne City, Brisbane Roar and Newcastle Jets all fielding teams

Karim’s journey in powerchair football began in 2009 but it was at the 2011 FIPFA World Cup in France where Karim’s story in the sport begins.

Rale Rasic & Emmanuel Petit with Abdulla Karim

After being knocked out of the tournament early the Australian was distraught, but the words of a French football legend inspired him.

“We lost to Canada 1-0 in the final two minutes and after the game I started crying,” he said to FourFourTwo.

“French World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit was there watching and he came up to me and wanted to know why I was crying. I said, ‘because I wanted to win the game for Australia.’

“Then he said, ‘no, no, no, there is nothing important in this life but you being here. Just enjoy it, it’s not all about winning’ and I just took it on from there.”

But when Australia faced Canada at the group stage of the 2017 FIPFA World Cup there was only one thought in Karim’s mind.

“It was a revenge match,” he said.  “I scored four goals in a row from corners and Dimitri Liolio-Davis our team captain assisted with the first three.

“The other goal was assisted by Josh Merkas our vice-captain. It felt so great because like I said it was a revenge match for what happened in France in 2011.”

Australia then took on Japan in the quarter finals and at half-time it looked like Karim and the boys were down and out.

“We were losing 1-0 and we were so negative that our heads had dropped,” he said. 

“Then all of a sudden our coach Peter Turnbull and our assistant coach Robbie Wright, who is my Western Sydney Wanderers coach, pumped us up. Then after half-time we ended up with an 11-minute comeback and we won 2-1.

“Getting into the semi-finals is a feeling that I can’t describe because it was the first time we have been in that position for powerchair football at international level.”

Unfortunately, France beat the Aussies in the semi-finals but Karim’s form did not go unnoticed and he was rewarded with the MVP award.

 “It’s a feeling of shock,” he said when he heard his name read out.

“Your heart just drops, you’ve got no heartbeat in your chest and your ears start ringing a little bit and the sound goes away for a short time.

"I’m sitting in a wheelchair every day of my life and it’s like I’m sitting in an electric chair getting shocked.”

Karim said the enormity of receiving that MVP award took a while to sink in.

“I really didn’t know what it meant," he said. "It was only until the coach looked at me and he had a tear in his eye and said, ‘Do you absolutely know what that means or not? You are the best player in the world.'

"I just told him thank-you and I put my head against his head and it was just emotional. It’s the biggest achievement of my life and it feels so good having it.”

Karim counts Rale Rasic, who is a global ambassador for the sport, as a major influence.

“He is my inspiration and (won the MVP) for him,” he said. “He went to the 2011 World Cup with us in Paris when we came seventh in the world. I appreciate how much he is has done for the sport in Australia, not just Australia but pretty much around the world.”

Rasic could barely hold back his feelings when speaking about what Karim achieved only two weeks ago.

“This is a massive story, this is world news,” he said. “This is no ordinary story, this is an extraordinary story.

“Even with all my experience worldwide in coaching when I heard that he won the MVP, I became unbelievably emotional.”

“To be voted world’s best in a tournament amongst French, American and English teams - especially as these three nations dominate the world and for Australia to came fourth is an absolute phenomenal success.”

Rasic, who took Australia to their first ever FIFA World Cup appearance in 1974, described 26-year-old Karim as the Messi of Powerchair football.

“He has amazing technique,” he said. “When I spotted this kid one of the things I noticed was just how fast of a thinker he was. If he angles the chair the wrong way he will fly because that’s how light he is to some American or English players who are massive.

“He’s like a Messi, he so cheeky with his thinking. It is beyond belief how fast he is with his thinking and how he makes decisions that are always in his favour.

"When Messi is playing and gets hammered by the opposition he keeps on playing, he doesn’t give two hoots about anybody and this kid is just like Messi. In a world of his own. That’s what he is he is extraordinary.”

It’s difficult not be moved by Karim’s story especially when he reveals that he also has a heart problem he has to manage. But when he gets out on the court and is faced with opposition players who are double or triple his size, the 26-year-old is thinking of only one thing.

“I never have a fear, you always go in fearless,” he said. “The most important thing to me is the chair skill. I never lose focus of that.

“I control the chair with my left foot - between my two main toes. I’ve got no knee caps and I’ve got no arms but if you look at pictures of me it’s like I’ve got hands down the bottom.

“They aren’t up the top. They look a little bit like feet but they work like hands. That’s why the Australian team says I’m like their secret weapon.”

Powerchair football is currently not in the Paralympics, but Karim hopes the sport that gave him so much can be part of the program in the future.

“Playing in the Olympics would be unbelievable,” he said. “To be able to win a gold, silver or bronze medal would be phenomenal, it would be crazy.

“When I was younger I was a little smarta** but when powerchair football came into my life as I got older I matured more in the brain. It just helped me so much.

“The next step is to grow it in Australia and around the world also. If I can help the sport in any way then yes come to me I will do what I can to help the sport get bigger. The next step is also to get an A-League tournament happening in January.”

All pictures by Jeff Walsh/Quarrie Sports Photography