A mini-football tournament among the blind took place in Simferopol

The competition is dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the reunification of Crimea with Russia. 10 teams from Moscow and the Moscow region, Nizhny Novgorod region, Krasnodar region, Nizhny Novgorod, Kostroma, Korolev, Donetsk People’s Republic and Crimea met on the field.

For the fifth time, Simferopol hosts football guests from different regions of Russia. The tournament organizers note that task No. 1 is to involve as many people with health needs as possible in this sport.

When asked whether specialized playgrounds for people with disabilities will be built in Crimea, the Minister of Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olga Torubarova replied that everyone should be able to play sports on a regular basis, without singling out someone for health reasons.

– Different opportunities, but equal rights, inclusion is being implemented throughout the country. And I think it’s wrong to have some specialized sites. Today, the infrastructure that we have created allows both ordinary athletes and those with special needs to engage in sports. You can buy some additional elements, like sides, this is not a problem. But people with disabilities, first of all, must be socialized, the minister clarified.

Elena Merkusheva has been coaching the Simferopol children’s team “Dream” at a specialized boarding school for two years. No matter what the officials say, the guys don’t have enough of a full-fledged field with boards.

“They built a playground for us; it is non-standard in size, but at least we have the opportunity to run and practice elements,” says the coach. – The usual hall is small for us, it just ran away and hit the wall. But we are slowly developing. Competitions are necessary because it helps to unite the team and get to know other teams.

Learning the rules of the game is not so difficult; for special players, it is more important to master other superpowers – the ability to listen and hear. They are not completely blind, they have light perception, and therefore it is more difficult to turn on only hearing.

“It turned out that the children needed to be taught how to navigate in space; at first they confused right and left,” recalls Elena Petrovna. – You need to be able to focus on the coach, the goalkeeper, the players who are running towards you, and not be distracted by the conversations of the other team. It is these sounds that create a picture in your head of what is happening on the field. After you’ve put it all together, you make the right choice of where to hit. An ordinary football player does not perform so many actions.

But what distinguishes any football, to the great regret of the coach, is tough tactics, the use of force, a demonstration of superiority. Elena adheres to more tolerant behavior on the field: she stopped, dribbled, passed. But she admits that the craving for the beautiful game may be explained by the fact that she is a woman. And I’m ready to admit that we need to train our athletes to sometimes play aggressively. At least to repel the enemy.

The guys from the “Dream” team showed good results over two years. At the championship in Kazan they took first place, in Moscow – third. They like to play, they are not afraid to fall, they say the main thing is to group. There is only one girl on the team – Valya, she is a reserve player.

“Football helps us navigate in space, we can live without a stick…,” the young football players shared.

“I watch with pain in my heart when blind people are on the field, because there are a lot of people who are not interested in football, and here the guys play with such difficulties,” said Sergei Borodkin, president of the Crimean Football Union.

While the children, fortunately, managed to avoid injury, the adult football players fought until they bled. They fell, hit their heads, and got hit by the ball. But everyone bravely endured and did not leave the field. According to coaches, injuries are common. Of those guys who play for a long time, there is probably not a single one who has a whole nose. But for many, sport gave new impressions and became a reason to leave the apartment. The guys felt the taste of life. Blind football players are an example of fortitude.

There were no losers at the end of the competition. The winner is a sport that is accessible to all people, regardless of their diagnoses.