A little less than three weeks after their coronation at the Paralympic Games, the four players from the Bondy Cécifoot Club were honored at a reception organized by the city at the Léo Lagrange gymnasium. It was the first time they came back here together since the final won against Argentina, at the Eiffel Tower stadium, on September 7 and therefore the opportunity for them to see the members of the club again and those who started following their journey well before the gold medal.
Cohesion and solidarity
“We are super proud, we meet them every day, explains Leïla, player in the women’s section. I really admire what they did, their way of playing, their technique, how they developed their hearing to be able to play…” Kamal, another member of the club, attended the tournament in the stands. He did not expect the French team to bring home the gold medal, but according to him, the cohesion and solidarity of the group at the inside which feature the four Bondynois, enabled this success.
Sarah Tuchscherer
When the champions arrive in the gymnasium, a guard of honor was formed and warm applause resounded. This enthusiasm raised in each of their trips, defender Hakim Arezki never tires of it: “It’s always a pleasure! And then we’re happy to see all these people again, most of whom we’ve known for a while now. It’s nice to come and present this medal to them.“.
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“The land of the bell balloon”
“We were in a bubble during the Games, says Gaël Rivière, we came out of it and we are gradually realizing the enthusiasm that this medal aroused. We are also gradually returning to our jobs and our family lives.“. Soon the French championship will resume. The player is not quite ready yet: “you have to rediscover the desire, mental and physical freshness. The season which has just passed was very long, twelve months, from September to September, training five times a week and playing around fifty matches. We will come back, but gradually“.
Sarah Tuchscherer
President of the Bondy Cécifoot Club, Jean-François Chevalier hopes to be able to capitalize on this coronation to popularize the discipline. There was no influx of new licensees during registrations at the start of the season, but according to him the message got through: “Bondy is the land of bell balloons! We are ready to welcome all visually impaired people from Île-de-France who would like to take up this sport and why not become a high-level athlete“. The Bondyn club has a strong argument for attracting blind football players from across the region: it is the only one to be equipped with an approved pitch, it was inaugurated last winter.
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