Courtesy: FIFA

Latinos rule five-a-side roost

(FIFA.com) 04 Oct 2004

Brazil, Argentina and Spain, in that order, marched away with the medals from the five-a-side tournament at the 2004 Paralympic Games Athens. This form of five-a-side, involving visually-impaired footballers, made its Olympic debut at the Greek Games and proved a resounding success with players and public alike.
Five-a-side for the blind has come on in leaps and bounds since the first national championship was staged in Spain in 1986. The sport has subsequently expanded across the globe, though it is still the Latin sides who tend to dominate. In the World Championship held in Brazil between 30 November and 8 December 2002, the current Paralympic medallists ruled the roost, but in a different order. Argentina triumphed in that tournament, ahead of the Spanish and the Brazilians.

At Athens, the hard work put in by the auriverdes in preparation for the tournament paid off as they took a well-deserved top spot on the podium. Unbeaten, without a goal scored against them in open play throughout the competition, Brazil made it clear that they are the side which currently set the standards in this discipline. The Argentinians had to make do with an honourable runners-up spot which reflects the fine form the country's teams have been showing recently at all levels and categories.

South American classic

Brazil snatched gold in the Final following a 3-2 penalty shootout victory. Neither nation had managed to break the deadlock by the end of normal time, and 20 minutes of extra-time also failed to move the scoreboard along. More than one fan at the Hockey Olympic Centre had to bite their lips to maintain the silence strictly observed in the stands so as not to break players' concentration in what proved to be a passionate and intense tournament finale.

The auriverdes enjoyed the best chances of the match, but Argentinian goalkeeper Darío Lencina was on fire and blocked everything that was thrown at him. Marcos Felipe and Severino Silva managed to miss six penalty kicks between them, while João Silva's was denied a goal by the upright.

After extra-time and at the moment of truth, Severino Silva, Mizael Oliveira and Damião Ramos stepped up to calmly tuck their spot-kicks away and secure Brazil the first ever five-a-side Paralympic gold.

Bronze for Spain

Following a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Argentina, the Spanish could only fight for the third-place spot against the hosts. Marcelo Rosado put in an inspired performance and his two goals gave the Spaniards bronze. The main architect of the victory was delighted with the result: "It was a difficult game because Greece are a very strong side and started out with the advantage of playing on home soil. We were lucky enough to score first and very early on in the match and that helped us a lot."

"Spain played better and were the stronger side. We did our best, but we paid dearly for the mistakes we made throughout the game," acknowledged the Greek captain, Charalampos Tokatlidis, who also had words of gratitude for those who turned out to will the national team on. "The fans have been just incredible and we have a lot to thank them for."

In the game for fifth and sixth place, France overcame Korea Republic 3-1 to leave the Asians with the wooden spoon and without a single win to their name in the entire competition.


Bravery and courage

This version of the five-a-side game is played on a cement pitch or artificial turf measuring 40m by 20m and always in the open air so as to avoid the echoes of covered stadiums given the huge importance of players' acoustic perception. The boundaries of the pitch are marked by a 1-1.2 m high barrier to guide the competing footballers. The ball is made of leather and gives off a sound when struck. A match is divided into two 25-minute halves with a 10 minute-interval in between.

Teams are formed by a goalkeeper, who may be partially sighted, plus four outfield players with severe visual impediments. In order to even out the footballers' perception of light, they are required to wear a blindfold.

Each and every one of these players, marked by the drama of losing or lacking sight, has their own story of bravery and courage to tell. Damião Ramos, for example, was blinded at 16 in a tragic incident when his cousin wounded him by accidentally letting off a firearm. The young Brazilian refused to be beaten by fate and kept up the fight to continue playing sport. Today he is the proud owner of an Olympic Gold Medal.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge, who was present at some of the five-a-side for the blind matches, stressed the Paralympic athletes' immense valour: "These great athletes send a very important message out to the entire world. Above and beyond their physical disability, which is considerable, they have shown determination to overcome the adversity and the injustices which life can often present." And that is one lesson we can all learn from.


Final standings:
1. Brazil
2. Argentina
3. Spain
4. Greece
5. France
6. Korea Republic


Top scorers:
João Silva (BRA) 9 goals
Frederic Villeroux (FRA) 7 goals