Over the centuries there have been many famous blind people who have achieved greatness - from the Greek poet Homer through the American campaigner Helen Keller, to the more recent examples of musicians Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder.
In a few short weeks in the Beijing Paralympics itself dozens of blind and sight-impaired athletes, sportsmen and sportswomen will challenge their physical disabilities as well as their fellow competitors and go on to achieve triumph – whether measured in medals, in a personal best, or simply by the fact of their participation.
Saudi Arabian referee Khalid Alghamdi suffers from a different ailment – an ability to see things that are visible to no-one else. This skill resulted in Belgium finishing their match against Brazil last night with only nine men on the park. In the 72nd minute Belgian captain Kompany was sent off for the faintest of touches on Brazil's Diego as he ran back to cover the Brazilian's forward move. In the first half he had already been cautioned for a foul on the Pato in similar dubious circumstances. Pato barged through the centre in pursuit of a ball that he had no hope of reaching, clashing with Kompany on the way. The referee might easily have given a foul against the Brazilian; instead he chose to penalise Komapny and then add insult to injury by cautioning him.
In the 87th minute Alghamdi provided a dramatic encore. Belgium's Fellaini chased a ball out towards the left wing alongside one of the Brazilian defenders. As the ball went out, Fellaini touched the back of the Brazilian. It was nothing more than an acknowledgement of his presence, and perhaps an attempt to avoid any collision as the two players stopped running, but the Brazilian went down as if he had been machine-gunned, and spent several minutes 'recovering'.
In the meantime, Fellaini found himself joining Kompany for an early bath, a decision that understandably infuriated him. It was a totally unjustified ending to a match in which he more than anyone else had worked to frustrate the Brazilians. Sporting a haircut that is obviously the result of a lost bet, the tall midfielder is hard to miss, and he could be seen last night covering every blade of grass on the pitch.
In the 26th minute he was an auxiliary striker, knocking the ball narrowly past when it broke to him off Brazilian keeper Alves in what was Belgium's best chance of the first half. In the 78th minute he was at right-back, battling with Diego for control of the ball in the Belgian and seeming to have done what was needed to clear the danger. Unluckily for him the ball broke to Hernanes, who feinted right and then turned left before crashing the ball into the net for what would prove to be the winning goal. And he was out on the left wing for his final involvement in the match. There were better players on show last night, but Fellaini would have been my man of the match.
The Brazilians have never won the Olympic title, and I will be shedding no tears for them if they again fall short. Their star-studded side seems to have cast aside any concern for the Olympic Spirit, instead importing all the low-level cheating that disfigures the professional game. In referee Alghamdi they had an eager helper who was always ready to see things their way.
As was to be expected, Brazil dominated the match in terms of skill, possession, and territory, but Belgium were no whipping-boys. They too made chances, most notably Fellaini's effort in the first half, and a shot from Mirallas on the left in the second half that flew across the face of the goal and shaved the post. Although a goal from Brazil always looked likely, without the interventions of the referee Belgium might well have finished the match on level terms.
Jo had the ball in the net for Brazil in time added on, but replays showed he had been correctly blown for offside. In the 94th minute Belgium were given a chance to save the game with a free kick outside the box in perfect position, but the opportunity was ballooned over the bar.
Brazil's coach Dunga expressed himself 'satisfied' with his team's performance. It would seem that he does not set his standards very high.
(D. Ferguson August 8, 2008)