Cécifoot: when learning about sight loss is the goal

Is there anything that brings people together more than football? Yes, watching at a stadium or on TV with friends is great, but having a kick about together is the heart and soul of the sport. So, it tells you everything you need to know about the beautiful game when you discover that, for over a hundred years, blind and partially sighted people have been playing football too.

In fact, blind football has been played at a national level in Spain for over fifty years, going global in 1996 thanks to the International Blind Sports Federation. And, through their ongoing partnership with the Fédération des Aveugles et Amblyopes de France (the French Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted), colleagues at Canon France recently had the opportunity to test their own skills and learn more about living with sight loss.

Called cécifoot in France (a portmanteau of the French word cécité – blindness – and foot – football), the country has something of a distinguished track record, their national team having won gold at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. It’s a five-a-side game that’s been adapted in some really clever ways which mean it can be played by blind, partially sighted and sighted players alike.

All players, except the goalkeeper, wear an eye mask, so that everyone competes equally and keep track of the ball by the rattle it emits. Fans stay as quiet as they can, so players can hear the ball and the only other guiding sounds come from the keeper, a coach, a helper (who stands behind the opponent’s goal) and the players themselves who must shout “Voy! Voy! Voy!” (Spanish for ‘I’m going!’) before heading in for a tackle. It’s a quiet game for fans but lacks nothing when it comes to energy and goal celebrations!

Coincidentally, Canon France has an ongoing relationship with local football club, CS Pouchet Paris XVII, whose grounds are located right beside the office. So, they not only had the perfect location, but were also able to invite their young, sighted players to join the day and learn from professional blind and partially sighted footballers. Among them were Julien Zéléla, founder of blind football in France and President of the Cécifoot Saint‑Mandé club, and Yvan Wouandji, a French cécifoot legend and Federation ambassador, who has been blind since the age of 10. He shared his personal journey into the sport and passed on tips and techniques.

And there was so much to learn. For example, a sighted football player has the constant feedback of their own eyes to respond to the pitch and other players. Cécifoot players need to understand the space in advance. So, ahead of a match, they will walk the playing area, pacing distances, understanding the boundaries of the pitch, learning where the goalposts are, so that they can construct a mental spatial map before they play. It’s an entirely different set of skills on top of those required to score the perfect goal – making the experience so much more than a fun kickabout. Learning this offered a real moment of understanding for everyone who took part.

And then, when it was time to try for themselves, the challenges became very real. The usual sighted understanding of distance and direction gone, even to just try and score a goal meant that colleagues and guests needed to be guided to the right spot. Immediately, the loss of sight put their brain’s threat detection on high alert – even though they were perfectly safe. The mind responds to the dark; movement slows, hearing changes, even basic motor skills and balance are affected. Of course, with the sun on your skin on a warm spring day, surrounded by known voices and – crucially – the ability to remove the mask at any time, there was no risk. But it was a really powerful exercise in understanding sight loss.

And even when everyone broke for lunch, the learning didn’t stop. Sighted diners were expected to wear eye coverings for the duration, an experience completely unfamiliar in a very familiar setting. They learnt that it takes great concentration, care – and even trust – to enjoy a meal. Throughout the day, colleagues were also invited to take part in sessions where they learnt the basics of braille.

The event was cleverly designed to make an important point. Yes, it is inspirational to watch and try the extraordinary skill of cécifoot. But to understand the challenges of life as a blind or partially sighted person, you must start with the everyday – eating lunch, learning how to find your way, how it feels to move through the world differently. And how few accommodations there really are. And this puts the achievements of Julien, Yvan and all those who are blind and partially sighted into very sharp perspective indeed.