On the pitch, Betis and Valladolid. In the stands, the organization hopes to gather more than 1,100 disabled fans and break the record for the most inclusive football match in the world, which in 2018 brought together 1,074 disabled fans for a Polish football league match.
This afternoon, the Spanish teams of Betis and Valladolid will face each other at the game, and the Portuguese NGO Integrated Dreams, in collaboration with Betis and the annual congress on the soccer industry, wants to show that, not in the stadium, there is room for everyone . The president of Sueños Integrados, José Soares, does not hide his anguish a few hours after an old dream came true.
“This is a dream that we have had for several years and now we are hours away from making it come true. I speak from an organizational point of view, but also from a personal point of view, as a great soccer fan. One of my best moments in life is celebrating goals in football stadiums, and it hurts me that there are still people who do not have access to this experience that is so special to me. It was in this sense that I felt it was important to make a milestone here, “he explains. TSF José Soares, mentioning one more objective: “Call attention to the rights of disabled fans and, together, try to beat this record and show that there is room for everyone in a football stadium”.
Among the followers, there are all kinds of shortcomings. Some came from across the Atlantic.
“Just yesterday I was talking to some people who were amputees and who came from the other side of the world on purpose for this initiative, [vieram] of El Salvador”, recalls the president of Sueños Integrados.
“At the same time, we have many people with reduced mobility, with intellectual, physical, or sensory disabilities,” he adds, noting that there are initiatives for all types of audiences, such as “sensory kits that make the experience inclusive for people with intellectual disabilities; When Betis takes the field, the anthem will sound in sign language and the players will take the field with their names in Braille on their shirts”.
José Soares believes that it will be possible to replicate inclusive games in Portugal, despite not having met all the conditions.
“There is no Portuguese club with sensory rooms for people with autism, there are still very few sports organizations that make the descriptive comment for people with low vision,” he regrets, stating, however, that the Portuguese Football Federation, FC Porto and Benfica have already taken some initiatives.
“Steps have been taken, but we feel that the road has not yet come to an end, there is still a long way to go,” he adds.
The match in Seville, between Betis and Valladolid, is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. (Portuguese time).
Source: TSF
