In Yuxi, I heard the Chinese Super League: football, lit up their world

Written by Zori On April 6, in the 5th round of the Chinese Super League, Yunnan Yukun played Qingdao Manatee at home, and 20 blind fans participated in the home team's first victory in the Chinese Super League. Although they couldn't see it, they heard the voice of the live DJ mobilizing: "What is our hometown?" The 20 listeners and 21,646 spectators burst out with two words like a tsunami: "Yunnan!" ”

The radio leader shouted again: "What is our team? ”

The stands responded violently: "Yukun! ”

In the non-stop shouting after the opening, the one-on-one on-site explanations of 6 teachers from Yuxi Special Education School and many accompanying family members were endless. In the 86th minute, the home team's No. 3 Xu Hongjie scored with a header - at that moment, Yao Yongxiang didn't hear the explanation and knew what was happening, he shook his fist and yelled, and the goal always made him so happy.

▲At the moment of the first victory of the Chinese Super League, Yao Yongxiang (left) shook his fist and yelled Photo / Shenyang

This is the first time that Yao Yongxiang, who is 59 years old and has been playing for 44 years, has experienced the charm of the Chinese Super League on site. Blind since childhood, he has never seen what the people and the world around him are like, let alone a football game. 32-year-old Xiang Junyu is "blind halfway", and when he was 5 years old, he watched the A League of Yunnan Hongta on the spot, and he also played football when he grew up. Compared with his predecessors who were born blind, the football that Xiang Junyu heard and felt should be more real.

But Yao Yongxiang disagrees, believing that the football he perceives is "exactly the same" as the football seen by able-bodied people. Otherwise, you can't explain how his understanding of football and his interpretation of the game can resonate with so many fans.

Since there was no school for the blind in Yuxi, Yao Yongxiang went to Kunming School for the Blind to learn Braille since he was a child. During his school days, the PE teacher took a fancy to his bounce and explosiveness and suggested that he practice sprinting after school. In addition to learning is training in life, the radio is the best companion. With the airwaves of the 1981 World Cup Asian qualifiers in Spain, football has since become a ray of light in a dark world. Gu Guangming, Huang Xiangdong, Zuo Shusheng...... It's the star he still remembers.

Since the age of 15, he has been imagining himself playing soccer while practicing sprinting on the track and field. Later, he became the winner of the Kunming Paralympic Competition and represented Yunnan in the national competition, so he went to Beijing and participated in the long-awaited Gongti competition. When participating in the training camp at the Haigeng base, he met Fu Yubin, who was preparing for the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.

▲ Fu Yubin

That time was the only time Yao Yongxiang had close contact with an active international player. He stepped forward excitedly and touched Fu Yubin with his hand, he was thin and thin, he wanted to know, how strong was the main goalkeeper of the national team in front of him? He shook his upper arm and put his hand on his waist for a moment. The result was exactly as expected: "Well, his arms are really thick and his waist is strong. ”

Like most fans, he rarely puts himself in the role of goalkeeper. Obsessed with football events and studying football information for 44 years, his favorite Chinese player is Peng Weiguo, "The physical condition is not good, but the technique is very good." "Mai Chao is also this type, and he is an expert in penalties and free kicks. ”

His favorite foreign player is Bebeto because "my physique is closer to him". Although the classic goal of the Brazilian in the 1994 World Cup was partly from the TV commentary and partly from the inner recreation, Bebeto's impromptu "cradle dance" after scoring the goal made him feel warm, "I also have children, and I have used a cradle, and I know exactly how he celebrates." ”

In the circle of blind friends, Yao Yongxiang, who is well-read and strong-minded, is undoubtedly the fan with the highest rank. In the last two World Cups, each of the 64 games, he has given live commentary to blind fans through live webcasts. This requires receiving the commentary of the CCTV sports channel through headphones, and at the same time quickly filtering and processing the information. He usually includes a lot of background information and coming-of-age stories of the players, which is what blind fans love to hear. It doesn't mean much to them to analyze the process of the game and introduce the actions on the field.

▲Blind fans touch the ball for the Chinese Super League at Yukun's home stadium Photo/Shenyang

For him, football is not only about adding joy to life, but also about motivating him to face adversity. "As long as you put your mind to it, football will give you endless perception, shock and comfort." He said that football has not only given him enough influence, but also passed on to the second generation.

The second daughter was influenced by her father, especially like football, and applied the attitude of a professional player to herself, treating her work "as seriously and attentively as participating in a 90-minute game". As a Yuxi policeman, she often carried out patrol duties on the periphery of Yukun's home stadium, and it was not until the 13th round of the Chinese Super League that she had time to enter the stadium to watch the game.

Fatherhood is a role model. In the Zenjingtang Yongxiang Massage Parlor, guests buy a one-hour therapeutic massage, and every minute they enjoy Yao Yongxiang's dedicated professional service. Because of his good skills and good reputation, the old customers don't mind the owner listening to football and doing public welfare, and they are also willing to make an appointment with him. Yukun entered the Chinese Super League, and the fans he met at work also increased. This is a joy for him: "The circle of blind people is still small, so we all appreciate the opportunity to communicate with the blind fans. ”

In the mom-and-pop shop, his wife Yin Linping is also disabled. With inconvenient legs, she can only stand with a leaning back, help in the store, and cook for the family. "She's my eyes, I'm her legs, and we work well together." Yao Qingxiang said that his wife also has one advantage that makes him particularly happy, that is, he never complains that he is fascinated by football.

▲Yao Yongxiang serves old friends in the store

If he could see it, he wanted to be a footballer and a coach after retiring. Due to his personality, it is difficult to make big decisions that change the tide of the game, and he feels that he is not suitable to be a manager, but with his technical and tactical studies and love of football, "I should be able to be an executive coach." ”

From the second division to the Chinese Super League, Yunnan Yukun has always been his favorite. The league break is a good opportunity to replay, "After 13 rounds, 18 points, ranked seventh, relegation should be no problem." Looking back at the first goal conceded in the first round, he was very tolerant of the goalkeeper, "Fabio's long-range shot was shocking, and it was normal for Ma Zhen not to hold it. Speaking of the state of Oscar, which everyone is concerned about, his opinion is that the opponent's marking is too tight, "This kind of marking, even if Neymar comes to Yuxi, he can't stand it." Between the words, it was as if everything was vivid.

People say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Yao Yongxiang said that God closed his window, but opened the door of football, leading him to the world. Although his world has no color, through conception and exploration, he defines green with musical notes – the color of the green field. "I've touched greens, and I've been told that this is green." The veins on the leaves reminded him of a melodious melody, and after humming it casually, he told the reporter with certainty: "This is green." ”

As for the color red, "it could be expressed entirely in another chord." He cleared his throat and sang two more times, "That's it, in a higher pitch, a little fiery." "He knows that this is the color of the five-star flag and the national team jersey.

▲Gu Wenxiang, vice president of Yukun Club, accepted the pennant presented by the Yuxi Association of the Blind Photo/Yuxi Rong Media Center

According to the national standard of "Classification and Grading of Disabled Persons", the first level is extremely severe, the second level is severe, both are blind, and the third and fourth levels are low vision. But compared to Yao Yongxiang, their world is still colorful.

At the home of Yukun, with the help of the magnification function of mobile phone photography and high-powered binoculars, 41-year-old Deng Shuxin will spend sixty percent of his time in a game to capture the unclear picture of the live game. The rest of the time, she would see which direction the figures on the pitch were running and congregating, and only then would she use her equipment when the home team had attacked the front.

At the 2002 World Cup, her eyesight had not deteriorated to such an extent that she was close to a TV screen when she was able to watch the game. At Euro 2004, Cristiano Ronaldo was born and hit the heart of the albinism patient in one fell swoop, and football has become an integral part of life ever since. To this day, the Portuguese, known for his extreme self-discipline, remains her idol.

The loss of vision caused by albinism has plagued her life for a long time. But this rural child has always insisted on studying in school, especially likes ancient poetry and English, and insisted on the top five in the class with comprehensive grades and the first grade in English until the second year of high school, and her increasingly blurred vision made her unable to hold on. She persuaded her parents, who had long lost hope, to go straight to Kunming from Tangchi Town, Yiliang County to seek medical treatment.

▲The fans of the Yuxi Association for the Blind said that the ball was happy (from left: Deng Shuxin, Yao Yongxiang, Zhao Hui, Xiang Junyu)

On the train that returned home again disappointed and found his way to Kunming again, I met a blind man who was getting on the train with his luggage with the help of his relatives. When she inquired about going to Kunming School for the Blind and Dumb to learn massage, she thought to herself: "Completely blind people can do it, my eyesight is always better than his, why can't I learn a craft to support myself first, and then consider other pursuits?" ”

In the years when I was blind and working, my eyesight continued to decline, but football awakened my self-motivation. She went to the English corner of Cuihu many times to find an environment to study. It wasn't until I met the other half of my life that I followed my husband to settle in Yuxi. She opened a "Baihuige Health Center" named after acupuncture points, and insisted on using a magnifying glass to learn Chinese medicine knowledge for 1 hour every day, specializing in the maintenance of the meridians of the female body. "People have to be self-disciplined and learn." She said.

Zhao Hui and Xiang Junyu have the same rare disease. THE FORMER WAS DIAGNOSED WHEN HE WAS 17 YEARS OLD WHEN HE WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND THE LATTER WAS LESS THAN 20 YEARS OLD. Vision loss due to optic nerve atrophy is one of the symptoms. Previously, they all thought that they were only highly myopic, at most amblyopia. It took them nearly a year to break free from the shackles of a huge blow and get out of the house.

Xiang Junyu majored in Thai language use as an undergraduate major, and also tried cross-border trade during his preparatory years. When he had a sudden symptom, he had a period of sharp decline in eyesight, only black, white and gray in front of him, and after returning to China, Western medicine was helpless, so he tried Chinese medicine meridian therapy, and as a result, his eyesight rebounded, and he saw color again. So he founded the "Semi-Leisure Studio" and entered the blind massage industry.

▲During the Dragon Boat Festival, Zhao Hui went on a short trip to Honghe Prefecture

40-year-old Zhao Hui started working earlier, following Yao Yongxiang to get the qualification of "blind medical masseur", which made him more confident in life and career. When he was in high school, he had a dream of becoming a teacher or a doctor, but he thought it was completely shattered. But now, through my efforts, I am able to not only massage customers but also treat patients, "I feel like I have fulfilled my dream of practicing medicine again." ”

For the development of "Zhao Hui Medical Massage Center for the Blind", he strives for excellence in his career; For the sake of his children, he is also constantly learning. Through the live broadcast on the platform, he learned to play the gourd silk and taught his two sons. The fact that the children performed in the class and won awards at school made him happier than the success himself. Now, he has the opportunity to take his children to experience the Chinese Super League and cultivate his interest, as long as the two brothers like it, he will definitely support his son to play football.

Yao Yongxiang appreciates the attitude of the younger generation towards life, and he used the example of Modric bidding farewell to Real Madrid at the age of nearly 40 to encourage everyone. "The most powerful thing about the Magic Flute is not his precision-guided passing, but his willpower in games and training." He said that when some people encounter a blow like blindness in the middle of the way, it is like the sky falling, and this is the time when people's willpower is tested the most. "Master Yao is right. If you want to come out again and stand up, you still have to rely on yourself. Deng Shuxin said.

▲ Deng Shuxin's health hall opened at the mouth of Yuxi Lane

In addition to competing in Beijing when he was young, Yao Yongxiang also went to Luoyang for his career when he was in his prime and spent two years continuing to study massage for the blind. During this period, he went to Kaifeng, Dengfeng and Xi'an, and through listening, he personally experienced the "cultivation of places of interest and historical sites". Although I can't see anything, "as long as I experience it with my heart", I can still feel a different world.

Like the able-bodied, it is difficult for blind fans to resist the atmosphere of the game, and wouldn't it be better if a few more like-minded blind friends participated? As a result, the Yuxi Association for the Blind stepped forward from Xiang Junyu to buy group tickets from the Yunnan Yukun Club, so as to avoid the difficulty of buying tickets and the scattered seats.

This simple idea received an enthusiastic response, and with the full support of the club, through the organization of the Yuxi Disabled Persons' Federation and the Yuxi Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League, blind fans from Kunming and Yuxi received special treatment. The club not only provides free tickets, but also adjusts the public welfare stands that are usually reserved, and sends special personnel to check and confirm the barrier-free passage routes, so that blind fans can walk directly to the stands from the meeting point of getting off the bus. The day before the game, before the home team stepped on the field, blind fans were invited to enter the stadium, touch the playing field, the goal and the game ball, and communicate with the team.

Before entering the Chinese Super League together, they used the screen reading function of their mobile phones to receive and send football information, and listened to the game through the barrier-free operation of video software, Yunnan Radio and Television Station's Kanglu Channel, and the special equipment for the blind of "Sunshine Listening and Reading Lang", or entered the stadium with their own actions, and felt the game on the spot by relying on the explanation of their families.

▲ They are also part of Yukun's home cheering army

On May 29, some blind fans had a new idea when they reunited with the Hongta District Disabled Persons' Federation. The Yuxi Association for the Blind, as a community organization where the home stadium of the Chinese Super League is located, hopes to provide convenience for more fans among the 60,000 blind people in the province. For their part, they were eager to go on an expedition. There are two alternative away games: one is the capital Beijing, and the other is a coastal city. Since the away games of Shenzhen and Dalian have been completed this season, there are only two away games from Qingdao Manatee and Qingdao West Coast.

Why the seaside? The blind people in Yunnan, who live in the remote inland area, actually have a heart for the distance and the ocean. On the beach of Qingdao, you can not only hear the sound of the waves, but also soak your hands and feet in the sea, and even "taste the salty taste of the seawater". Even if it's just to think about it, it's a beautiful thing.

Why Beijing? Yao Yongxiang, who has been away from the stadium for 40 years, said that the field retains the history of the struggle of generations of Chinese players, and is the root and "greatest confidence" of Chinese football. If there are 48 seats in the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, there is still no national football team, "I can't go to Indonesia, the only thing I can do and want to do is to return to the Workers' Stadium and pray for Chinese football." ”