iran_dwarf_soccer_team.jpg

A soccer team with a difference: this squad in Iran is made up entirely of dwarves whose average height is 1.2 metres (four feet) and their goal is to compete one day in international matches against similar teams.

'Kuchuluha', which means 'The little people' in Farsi, came together 15 months ago to raise the profile of dwarves in Iranian society.

The 25-member team practices twice a week so that their achievements can challenge 'size-ist' attitudes in the Islamic Republic.

The players, who include a 64-year old grandfather, don shirts bearing the names of some of the world's soccer greats such as England's Wayne Rooney and Germany's Gerd M�ller.

Managed by 54 year-old coach Yussof Azari, an Iranian actor, the players hope to gain international status.

"We have started talks with Brazil, Qatar and Dubai. We have has some negotiations and we are now awaiting a response," says Azari in an interview.

The players don't see their lack of height as a set-back. They test their skills in weekly friendly matches against footballers of average stature.

"We have no set-backs in playing football because if we did have any, we couldn't have played this well against those who are bigger than us, physically speaking," said the youngest player Massoud Deylam-Salehi. He says the 'Kuchuluha' use their height to their advantage. "If they have one tactic, we have three more. They think they can throw the ball above our heads. We can pass the ball between their legs," added the 26-year old.

Although people with dwarfism have often been used as spectacles in entertainment, Iran's little people today are doing all they can to integrate themselves into society.

According to the head of the Iranian Dwarves Sporting Federation, the mayor of the Iranian capital Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf is said to be working on a project for the country's 5000-strong dwarf population.

"With the co-operation and assistance that we have had from Tehran's mayor, we are in the process of creating a land for Iran's dwarves. In this land we will have access to everything, and everyone to do with this project belongs to the federation. This can be appealing from a tourist perspective," says Mehdi Ibrahimi.