UEFA backs blind football tournament

UEFA gave financial support to the recent European Blind Football Championship in the French city of Nantes – and France duly captured the title on home soil.

UEFA backing
The backing given by UEFA is part of the European body's support for disability footballers. The IBSA (International Blind Sport Federation) Futsal Development Project Europe was awarded UEFA's CHF 1m (€637,000) charity cheque in 2006 for a three-year blind futsal development programme.

French success
The recent championship in Nantes, which featured eleven delegations, came under the auspices of the IBSA, and France won the B1 competition for blind players, putting an end to Spain's domination of the championship. The Frenchmen beat England 3-2 in the final. In the B2/B3 competition for players with visual impairments, Belarus defeated Ukraine 4-0 in the final.