'Elite football for the blind' - Why the competition at the 2024 Paris Paralympics is enthralling for all involved

For the uninitiated, here's a quick primer on the sport. When it comes to rules, blind football is the classic five-a-side. Four outfield players and a goalie - basic stuff soccer fans learn from when they touch a ball for the first time.

And that’s where the similarities end.

All competitors must be visually impaired. They play wearing masks to make up for the various degrees of different eye sight among all the players. The ball is fitted with a bell to help players approximate its location. Only the goalkeeper and offensive guide - effectively an extra coach standing behind either goal - may talk at any given time.

When the ball is in play, and in the middle third of the pitch, coaches can bark instructions. Otherwise, this is a game of yelps and jingles.

And then there are the fans. Before kickoff, supporters are encouraged to make as much noise as possible, to cultivate an ebullient atmosphere - and that's just until the dynamics of the game come into play.

At that point, fans remain silent - often with gentle reminders from officials to control themselves - until the ball goes out, or a goal is scored. Of course, when the ball hits the net, the noise is intense.

As seems to be the case with football in all forms, it's no surprise that Brazil are the world’s power in Blind football (it wouldn’t be any form of the sport without the Selecao towards the top.) The first blind football tournament took place in Brazil in 1980, and entering this year's Paralympics tournament, they were the favorites.

They battered France, 3-0, and played to a 0-0 draw with Paralympic giants China to advance through the groups. 

Their secret to success? Keep the ball moving.

“We are making it as dynamic as possible within football. We move around a lot, we pass, we change athletes with the aim of bringing more shine to the sport,” defender Cassio Lopes dos Reis said to the Olympics website.

And if that fails, Brazil have had the edge in individual quality. They are led by Jefinho, the so-called ‘Paralympic Pele’, who has won four Gold Medals in the competition.

His motivation for a fifth couldn’t be more pronounced, he told the International Blind Sports Federation in March:  “We are working every day for it," he said. "In the morning, in the afternoon, and sometimes on Saturdays too. We are delivering our full dedication to being in Paris in the best shape possible. As athletes, we always want more.

"In Brazil, we don’t stand that much with what we achieved in the past. We look forward to future titles, and we want Brazil to remain the only Paralympic champion in the world.”

For all that ambition, however, it wasn’t to be. The tournament delivered on jeopardy Thursday, when Argentina - reigning world champions - edged their old competitor on penalties. It wasn't a complete shock. Brazil needed a miraculous goal-line clearance to snatch a draw with China in the group stage. And with the sport growing, others were bound to catch up.

Still, few anticipated a Brazil loss. And perhaps it’s what this game needed, another power coming into the fore. For the first time ever, Brazil won’t take home the gold medal in the sport that has historically been theirs. Saturday’s Gold Medal match will be all that much more compelling.

This may seem like an unfamiliar version of the sport to some, soccer slowed down and modified, adjusted for those who otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to compete. But with a gold medal on the line when France takes on Argentina Saturday, and the weight of a nation to hold up, it is just as important as any version of the sport.

France manager Toussaint Akpweh perhaps explained it best.

“For almost five years, we have been working with rigor and determination to regain our place in the world elite of football for the blind," he said. "The rest, we will write in Paris.”