Turkey triumph at Blind Football EUROs
Monday, August 31, 2015
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Turkey defeated Russia 1-0 on Saturday in the final of the 2015 IBSA Blind Football European Championships, with both nations qualifying for next year's Paralympic Games in Brazil.
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Turkey came out on top at the IBSA Blind Football European Championships staged in Hereford, England, from 22 to 29 August.
Supported by UEFA and organised by the International Blind Sports Federation, the event was held at the cathedral city's Royal National College for the Blind. The tournament comprised ten teams divided into two groups of five and carried two qualifying spots – which went to the finalists, Turkey and Russia – for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"The Blind EUROs showcase everything that is great about blind sport and the people involved in it," said IBSA chairman Ulrich Pfisterer after the final, which Turkey won 1-0.
UEFA supports blind football in Europe as part of its Football for all Abilities portfolio, with particular focus, through the provision of training opportunities and equipment, on developing the standard in countries that have only recently started to display an interest in the sport.
Group A: England, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Poland
Group B: Spain, France, Russia, Greece, Belgium
