News
All to play for at IBSA Blind Football American Championships
Date: December 2, 2017
Category: Football
As we move into match day five at the IBSA Blind Football American Championships in Santiago de Chile, everything is still up for grabs at the competition.
The top three teams – Brazil, Argentina and Colombia – all have options to qualify for tomorrow's final, while Chile and Mexico are in a battle for fourth spot and a place at next year's world championships in Madrid.
Match day four results
Argentina 0
Brasil 0
Chile 1 (Victor Silva)
México 2 (Omar Otero, Rubicel De la Cruz)
Colombia 7 (Juan David Pérez Quintero [7])
Peru 0
Brazil is still top of the group after its draw with Argentina in the South American blind football mach par excellence, the 46th Brazil-Argentina game in blind football history. Brazil has now gone 56 matches unbeaten in blind football competitions.
Colombia joins Brazil on ten points following an easy win over bottom of the table Peru. Amazingly, the same player – Juan David Pérez Quintero – scored all of Colombia's goals and his achievement takes him to the top of the goal- scorers table ahead of Chile's Silva.
Caption: the two women referees lead out the teams before yesterday's match between Colombia and Peru.
In another milestone for women's involvement in blind football, in the Colombia-Peru match both on-field referees were women. This is the first international match in which the top two officials in charge were women.
In yesterday's other game, Mexico edged out the hosts in a tight encounter.
Brazil is top of the table on goal difference from Colombia, Argentina is third on 8 points, Chile and Mexico are fourth and fifth respectively (both on 3 points), and Peru is on zero points.
Caption: league standings after four matches.
Fixtures match day 4 – Saturday 2nd December
10:00 Chile vs Argentina
12:30 Colombia vs Brazil
16:30 Mexico vs Peru
Three teams will qualify from Chile 2017 to take part in the IBSA Blind Football World Championships in Madrid, Spain, in June 2018. As reigning world champions (Tokyo 2014), Brazil has qualified automatically for Madrid 2018.
IBSA's local partners in hosting the event are the Chilean Sports Federation for the Visually Impaired and the Paralympic Committee of Chile.
Follow all the action on the IBSA Blind Football Facebook page or Twitter feed, or the Paralympic Committee of Chile Facebook page or Twitter feed.
Caption: logo for the IBSA Blind Football American Championships Chile 2017.
With thanks to the Brazilian Blind Sports Confederation for additional information.