Turkish Deaf National Football Team tops world rankings

By Bugra Ersavas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey's football team featuring the nation's best deaf players has hit the peak in Europe.

In the European Deaf Sports Organization (EDSO), the Turkish Deaf National Football Team tops the rankings.

In the latest rankings, Turkey had 49,889 points followed by Ukraine with 42,499, Russia with 42,136, Germany with 42,029, and France with 36,402 points.

"We established a good system which brought us to the top spot in the ranking," Ali Metin, coach of the national team, told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

"The future for deaf football will be brighter," Metin said.

Saying that they created a good platform for the next decade of Turkish deaf football, Metin added: "We continued with the system we established."

"It's hard to reach the top spot, but it's harder to stay there," he said.

"We're at the point where Turkey could be an elite country in international deaf football," he added.