Watford footballer Ken Sema who suffers with a stammer has received wide-spread praise for his bravery after giving a brilliant post-match interview despite the challenges he faces.
Sema proved to be the decisive factor in Watford's 3-2 victory over West-Brom last night, after a two goal brace, including a 78th-minute winner that made sure Watford got the three points. If his heroics on the pitch weren't already good enough, the midfielder certainly impressed the fans with his post-match heroics. While Sema was in unbelievable form for Watford last night, he showed his true class when he bolstered up the courage to come back out and speak so confidently (in his second language) in a post-match interview with the Watford media team. Speaking about the game he said,
It was a must-win match here at home, and it was an amazing night.
It was great to celebrate in front of the supporters. I have been out for a while with my rehab and I did everything I could to come back stronger. Scoring today and getting the win feels brilliant
🎙 "It was an easy one!"
Ken Sema speaks following his match winning brace tonight! 🐐 pic.twitter.com/c8qv7GvNIw— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) February 20, 2023
Widespread Praise for Ken Sema
The interview has blown up today, with his fellow professionals and fans heralding the star's actions. Some branded his actions as an inspiration, while others heralded Sema's courage and bravery to give the interview. Former Spanish national manager Luis Enrique was one of those and took to Twitter this afternoon to applaud the 29-year-old saying
For me that is a good definition of what it means to be brave. Huge credit to him!
While West-Brom head coach Carlos Corberán who Ken Sema had beaten that night came out with this message for the Swedish footballer,
In football, as in life, facing up to difficulties makes us stronger. The bravery to tackle challenges inspires a lot of people
In football, as in life, facing up to difficulties makes us stronger. The bravery to tackle challenges inspires a lot of people. https://t.co/qAl4BJbXoW
— Carlos Corberán (@CarlosCorberan) February 21, 2023
It was obvious from the widespread reaction online just how inspirational this was to some people and it comes as absolutely no surprise that people across the world who also struggle with speech impairments are taking inspiration from Sema's actions. Plenty of parents took to Twitter to applaud Sema for the impact it would have on their kids, With one saying
I have a 7 year old daughter who has a stammer, she is very confident but is only just understanding that she has one. There aren’t many people in the public eye who do this and her words not mine “that is so good, I like that man”. Thank you Ken Sema and thank you
Another parent - Adebayo Akinfenwa - took to Twitter to applaud Sema after showing the video to his son who also suffered with a slight stutter.
Showed this to my lil man who has a slight stutter, Big Up Ken Sema 👊🏿👊🏿❤️ https://t.co/fkGycL55yh
— daRealAAkinfenwa (@daRealAkinfenwa) February 21, 2023
It's great to see Ken Sema's actions having impacts inside and outside of sports and the phenomenal reaction to the video is a testament to the effect Ken Sema's bravery had on others. Considering the challenge of his stammer as well as the fact he didn't grow up in England, to give an interview like this defying his stammer is an incredible feat and we can only hope Sema sees all the praise coming his way.
