England goalkeeper Chris Gordon will line up against his own father at the Powerchair Football World Cup on Sunday. Colin Gordon now coaches hosts Argentina, and the two sides meet in Buenos Aires.
Chris is playing in his fourth World Cup. He says his dad first got into the sport because of him. Colin was a striker at Birmingham City, Fulham and Leicester City in the 1980s and 90s, and later worked as a football agent. The pair have worked together at West Brom for years, and Colin also coached Chris with England.
Colin led England to the final at the last World Cup in 2023. They lost on penalties to France. Chris, who lives in Kidderminster, is confident of a different result this time. He told BBC Sport that England will win and that the bragging rights will be his.
How the sport works
Powerchair football is a four-a-side game for people with impairments such as muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and spinal muscular atrophy. Teams need a basketball court, a larger ball and powered wheelchairs fitted with front bumpers, which players use to shoot, pass and dribble.
Ten teams are at the tournament, from Argentina and Uruguay to Australia and Japan. Games start on Saturday and the final is on Friday 23 October. Every match will be streamed live on YouTube.
England’s hopes
England are among the favourites, with France and the USA. Captain Jon Bolding is at his fifth World Cup and has played the sport for 25 years. He remembers using NHS wheelchairs with car tyres fixed to the front. England won the Euros in 2019, and Bolding says the World Cup is the one title missing.
Winger Dan McLellan is only 17 and is at his second World Cup. He joined the England squad at 14 and has just taken over the captaincy of his club, Aspire PFC, from Bolding.
Head coach Adam McEvoy, in charge since 2024, expects a hard event. He called it the toughest World Cup so far, but said England have the group and the style to go deep.
Source: BBC Sport
