Ken Sema made a clear statement on the field: the footballer from British club Watford FC scored two goals in his team’s 3-2 win against West Bromwich Albion. As a result, he was named “Man Of The Match”. No wonder he was asked about it by the media. But off the pitch, the 29-year-old isn’t really known for making big noises – also because he stutters and therefore rarely gives live interviews.
Despite this, Sema posed for an interview after the game and spoke to his club’s media team. “I’m happy with my goals, I’m also happy with our win,” he said at the microphone. Even more than his two goals and the strong sporting performance, many fans were impressed by his courage to speak in front of the camera despite his speech impediment.
For this, the midfielder got a lot of recognition on social media – not only in England, but also from football fans and stutterers around the world. Appreciative words even came from the opposing club. Carlos Corberán, West Bromwich Albion manager, tweeted: “In football, like in life, facing up to our difficulties makes us stronger. The courage to face challenges inspires a lot of people.”
Many tweets in which people who stutter themselves express their admiration for Sema can serve as evidence of this. They feel encouraged by him to appear more confident in public, even if it sometimes takes them longer than others to say the words. “There will be so many kids around the world with the same speech impediment who will see this interview and receive a great example,” one wrote.
Some users particularly emphasized that English is not Ken Sema’s native language, he actually comes from Sweden and has been playing in England since 2018 – interrupted by a short loan in Italy. Sema himself tweeted after the game: “I’m very happy to be on the pitch and doing what I love. Thanks for the support.”
Source: Watford FC on Twitter
