Brazil is one of the pioneer nations of blind football. The earliest record of blind football in Brazil dates to 1950 and the first ever blind football tournament was held in Porto Alegre in 1974.  

Over the past half-century, Brazil have established themselves as a global powerhouse across all international competitions. The ‘Canarinhos’ have won all four Football 5-a-side gold medals at the Paralympic Games since the introduction of blind football at Athens 2004; lifted the world championship five times and aim to attain another Copa América (Blind Football American Championships) title in Chile from November 28th to December 5th.

On the 3rd and 4th of November, Confederação Brasileira de Desportos de Deficientes Visuais (CBDV) hosted their second Paradesportiva training seminar at the Paralympic Training Center in São Paulo, which was for managers of the associations that are affiliated with CBDV and professionals in blind football, goalball and judo. Brazil national team head coach Fábio Vasconcelos and physical team trainer Luis Felipe were both at hand to showcase their training methodology in theoretical and practical lectures.

Caption: Maxwell Carvalho Valente holds a ball in a half-squat position on a board during the physical conditioning session.

When asked about the seminar, Brazil coach Fábio Vasconcelos, former goalkeeper of the national team from 2003 to 2012 who became head coach after the London 2012 Paralympic Games, felt it was a great learning opportunity for the trainees:
 
"The seminar was very interesting because it allowed us to get closer to the club technicians and for them see the reality of our daily life in the Brazilian team, our methodology of work in the technical part, physical preparation and specific training of the goalkeeper. Overall, I found it very positive and we can show technicians the greatest difficulties we encounter when the athletes arrive at the selection and the care we provide when a new athlete joins the team.”

Following the seminar, the national team players remained at the Paralympic Training Center until November 11th to complete a training camp for the Copa América. Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru will be all looking to challenge Brazil for the Copa América title. However, Brazil’s defensive winger Cássio Lopes feels that the squad are well prepared for the tournament:

"With our history, our individual talent, our focus and our technical team, the Brazilian team will fight for another title. I know that the difficulties will be immense with some players returning from injury. We lost a lot of time, but we will overcome, and we will do our best to achieve another gold.”

Caption: Nonato Mendes takes a shot at goal during the Brazil national team training camp.

Did you know that Blind Football is called Futebol de 5 in Brazil? Follow CBDV on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with blind football and partially sighted (B2/B3) futsal in Brazil.

The 2017 IBSA Blind Football American Championships will be hosted by the Chilean Paralympic Committee from November 28th to December 3rd.

Follow IBSA Blind Football on Facebook.