The figurehead of the French blind football team, Paralympic champions on Saturday evening, wants this success to serve his discipline, even if he is thinking about retirement.
At the Eiffel Stadium
Can you tell us about this final won on penalties against Argentina (1-1, 3 on penalties to 2)?
Frédéric Villeroux : First, there was that first goal, which I scored with my left foot. It’s rare (smiles). It was an important moment and I thought we were going to take the lead and in the end, no, the Argentinians showed us that it was possible to score a goal in ten seconds in blind football. The coach had warned us, but sometimes, unfortunately, that’s not enough…
Then there is this penalty shootout, with yours, the last one, victorious…
Yes. Penalty kicks are not something I like to do. However, I work on it in training but I am more comfortable with the ball at my feet, in driving. In my head, I had two options: either take a kick or a sharp one. I decided to go for the safest bet, without being calm. The coach had told me that I was captain and that it was up to me to take this third penalty. I told him that I didn’t want to but hey, I didn’t have a choice. When you are captain, you have to know how to take your responsibilities. Reluctantly I went for it and we scored (smile).
Does it have a special flavour to beat Argentina?
Yes, because they are the blind football world champions and they also beat the able-bodied team in 2022 in the World Cup final, so there was revenge to be had. We did it. Even though I would have preferred it to be in regulation time and not on penalties, it would have been nicer to score goals in play but hey, we did it on penalties with a three out of three, which is great. A final, as we know, is won. We knew how to keep a cool head.
Do you realize what happened to blind football this week?
I’m starting to feel it. Blind football is being highlighted by the media. I remember that before Tokyo three years ago, we had two requests for interviews at the last minute. There was no enthusiasm, no interest in us. So yes, it was in Tokyo, but we need to be more interested in blind football, come and see the French championship, the French Cup… We need to make people want to come and that will allow us to be closer to the public. We need to communicate about all parasports, even when it’s not the Olympic Games. There are people who are at home, with disabilities, and who don’t know about blind football, for example. I discovered it by word of mouth. I had never heard about it in the media before. And so, I thank you for talking about our discipline, and parasports in general.
I think that without this support we would not have had these results and I believe we would not even have got out of the group stage.
Frédéric Villeroux
The public supported you enormously throughout the tournament…
Yes, it was incredible. We talked about it every day. Even when we lost to Brazil (0-3), we talked about it. I think that without this support, we would not have had these results and I think we would not have even gotten out of the group stage. The other countries are professionals, and we are amateurs. We have to take that into account. It is an achievement. We have made history and now we have to use that to develop our sport. In 2012 (when they reached and lost the final at the London Paralympic Games), we did not know how to use this medal. We made big mistakes. But today, this gold medal must allow us to develop our sport.
Do you realize that you will play a big role in this?
Yes, as an ambassador, I will take on this role, but as a player, I will discuss it with my wife. There, my body tells me to stop. There are times when you have to be lucid… To stop at a gold medal, it’s magnificent. Los Angeles seems far, far, far away.
Have you had any congratulatory messages from the football world?
Yes, I have had contacts with former professional players and this evening, after the final, Lilian Thuram came to congratulate us in the locker room. Tony Estanguet also came, as well as other Paralympic athletes. Lots of people thank us, but we shouldn’t only do it when there are medals. And I invite any visually impaired person, any disabled person to do sport. It’s something that builds you, that creates you, that anchors you in everyday life.
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