Iranian blind football team crowned at international tournament

Press TV – BANGKOK, Iran’s visually-challenged football team has lifted the trophy for the Thailand Open Football 5-A-Side Tournament 2013 after wining against Russia in the final match.

On Thursday evening, the Iranian sportsmen, who outclassed their Indian rivals 8-0 earlier in the day to qualify for the final, trounced the Russian squad 4-0 in Bangkok.

Iran’s Hossein Heidarian seized perfect chances on two occasions to put the ball into the back of the net. Behzad Zad Ali Asghar and Mohammad Heidari also netted a goal apiece for Iran.

In the other match of the day, Thailand took the third place after winning against India 9-0.

The Thailand Open Football 5-A-Side Tournament 2013 opened in Bangkok on August 20, and wrapped up on August 22.

Seven teams from Hong Kong, India, Iran, Malaysia, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam were participating in the tournament.

The sports event was a B1 category tournament and as per international rules, each team consisted of five players – four outfielders who had to be completely blind or blindfolded (B1 category) and a goalkeeper who could be partially blind.

The games were played using a special football which was slightly smaller than a regular one and did not bounce much. The ball produced a sound when it rolled on the ground or spun through the air, which enabled the players to locate it.

The field of the play was 40 meters in length and 20 meters in width, and cushioned boards were placed on the boundaries so that the ball did not go out of play. The cushioning also prevented players from inadvertently injuring themselves.

Each match lasted for 50 minutes, with an interval after 25 minutes of play.