A new European soccer league for amputee players kicked off in Romania’s capital

BUCHAREST, Romania -- A new European soccer league kicked off in Romania’s capital this week, giving amputee players from countries lacking domestic leagues an opportunity to compete on an international stage.The European Amputee Football Federation, or EAFF, inaugurated the new Conference League in Bucharest. The games were held Thursday and Friday, and the final concluded on Friday when Maccabi Haifa FC of Israel was crowned the winner after beating Scotland’s Ayr United 4-0.The victory meant a lot to Ben Binyamin of the team from Israel. Back in 2023, the Israeli player had his right leg blown off during the Hamas attack on the Tribe of Nova music festival, which left him fearing he would never play soccer again.“I am very happy that we won this tournament, we won without conceding a single goal,” he told The Associated Press. “Football itself for us is our physiotherapy, our life, and our second family. It helps us in life. It gives us strength.”Four teams participated in the tournament: FCSB of host nation Romania, Maccabi Haifa FC of Israel, Ayr United of Scotland and Panathinaikos AC PwD of Greece.“We are very satisfied, very happy to bring pride to the country,” Binyamin ad...