“Hello Sam?”
Where is the entrance?
» Mamadou Thiam, attacking midfielder for the Bondy blind football club, has just arrived at the Léo-Lagrange stadium for Tuesday evening training.
The slot is usual, not the location.
His coach, Samir Gassama, arrives and leads him to the rest of his visually impaired teammates.
The Malian international and his partners are preparing to step into their own stadium for the first time.
The club, which won its first Coupe de France in 2023, has many internationals preparing for the Paralympic Games.
This new 40 x 20 meter setting lined with Plexiglas barriers is identical to the stadium which will be installed in the heart of the Champ de Mars from August 30 to September 7, 2024. The structure has already attracted the Colombian Paralympic blind football selection who will train at Bondy for the Games.
The team enters its new locker room still under construction, which will soon include a weight room.
The players are impatient and put on socks, jerseys and shin guards.
“You’ll see, the lights are great,” jokes Samir Gassama.
Here we go !
»
The blind footballers, who find their way by the sound of the bells integrated into the ball and the indications of their guides at the edge of the pitch, enter the artificial turf and take their marks under the eyes of Jean-François Chevalier, president of the Bondy Cécifoot Club.
“This land is the culmination of a project launched five years ago,” he says with emotion.
Before, they trained in a city stadium which was not up to standard.
» The structure, officially inaugurated this Wednesday, cost around 1.3 million euros invested by the departmental council, the City and the National Sports Agency (ANS).
“It’s a dream come true”
The sound of bells invades the field as the players warm up.
Everyone alternates dribbling and passing against the barriers with mastery.
“The resonance is much better here,” rejoices Mamadou Thiam.
With this synthetic turf, the ball doesn't fly, it's a dream come true.
» Jean-François Chevalier appreciates it.
“It’s a real billiards table, the pitch is up to Olympic standards and far from the noise of scooters and young people in the city stadium,” says the president.
It's like giving them eyes.
»
Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis), this February 27.
The players warm up for the first time on their new pitch.
LP/Rémy Videau
Little by little, the session intensifies with attack-defense sequences.
“Barriers!”
Barriers!
Lost !
» Guides speak up to direct these visually impaired people into 1 versus 1, then 2 versus 2, actions. “The pitch and the goal cages are identical to those in the matches,” explains Samir Gassama.
We will be able to put things in place more easily.
»
A blind football academy project
On the pitch, the players are smiling, despite an essential adaptation phase. “We won't be comfortable for several weeks,” explains Algerian international Hakim Arezki.
We will work with difficulty, that’s an advantage.
» The training session ends with a penalty shootout.
The goals are defended by the goalkeeper of the futsal section of the Bondy Cécifoot Club.
“The goalkeeper is sighted in blind football,” explains Jean-François Chevalier.
I think it’s great that we can mix the different sections of the club.
»
Despite their blindness, the shooters shake the nets several times.
“We still have a lot of benchmarks to take, it will take time to get used to it,” analyzes French international Martin Baron.
We've been waiting for it for a long time, so it's up to us to exploit it and make the most of it.
» His teammates are unanimous.
“When you think about the long term, it’s really great to have this land,” concludes Hakim Arezki.
»
Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis), February 27.
The players discover the plexiglass barriers.
LP/Rémy Videau
Thanks to this infrastructure, the Bondy Cécifoot Club, with its twenty visually impaired members, wishes to develop new projects.
“In addition to becoming a preparatory center for the Paralympic Games, we can carry out our blind football academy project,” rejoices Jean-François Chevalier.
We want to continue to develop the place of disability in society.
»
Three players found employment thanks to this inclusive club which now wishes to allow young visually impaired people aged 7 to 17 to play blind football in Bondy.