blind football, a discipline where silence is golden

In blind football, players do not see the ball. To find their way, they use other senses: their ears. On this day, training is public.We imagine ourselves doing the same thing with a headband, we would be completely lost…“, says a spectator. Playing in front of supporters also serves as a warm-up before the Games. In Paris, the noise in the stands will be a formidable opponent.

Because on a blind football pitch, noise is already omnipresent. Players dribble with sound information. The ball is equipped with bells, shouts are used to signal each other and guides direct the attackers.Hearing is useful, but (the issue) is also how the brain will process the information“, explains Frédéric Villeroux, a player on the French blind football team. In the city, the reigning European champions are not professional players but lawyers, physiotherapists or piano tuner.

Heroes in the eyes of their goalkeepers, the only sighted players on the team.”These guys have totally incredible life stories, they are examples of resilience off the field.“, confides Alessandro Bartolomucci, goalkeeper of the French team.