New Video Features Blind Football Team
A new video featuring star-football players from FC Barcelona and the Spanish National 5-a-side blind football team was released Thursday.
It aims to celebrate the importance of inclusive play for children and the beginning of the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janerio, Brazil.
The video features five FC Barcelona footballers playing blindfolded against Spain’s 5-a-side Paralympic football team.
It is a collaboration between UNICEF, the FC Barcelona Foundation and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to show the power of sports to level the playing field for everyone.
The video will be shown at sporting venues throughout the Paralympic games, which run until the 18th of September, including at Spain’s first 5-a-side match against China today.
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“The Paralympic Games prove that ability, not disability, defines what a person can accomplish and this video shows that there should be no limits on what a child can aspire to — in sport, in school or in life,” said UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake.
This week marks the 10th Anniversary of the UNICEF-FC Barcelona Foundation partnership. Over the last decade, the partnership has reached over a million boys and girls with access to education, sport and play for children who might otherwise be excluded.
This work includes the “Open Doors” programme which operates in 15 cities across Brazil promoting inclusive education to girls and boys with disabilities.
The five players from FC Barcelona featured in the video are: Sergio Busquets, Jordi Masip, Lionel Messi, Ivan Rakitic and Sergi Roberto.
The Spanish National 5-a-side players are Pedro Gutierrez León, Jose Luis Giera Tejuelo, Javier Alvaro Ruiz, Francisco Javier Pérez Muñoz, Marcelo Rosado Carrasco and Sergio Cano Rodríguez.
Photo / Video courtesy: UNICEF
