Blind brothers turn passion for soccer into commentary and bring the game to life

Driving through the streets of Rosettenville, a working-class suburb in the south of Johannesburg, we see many of the houses are dilapidated, the roads are riddled with potholes and it is quiet.

But at about 3pm, when school is done, the suburb comes to life. Neon cones block off sections of the road and children, still in their uniforms, spill onto the streets to play soccer.

Winding through the neighbourhood to avoid disrupting these informal games eventually leads to Corinthians Africa, a nonprofit organisation working to change perceptions of disability and create opportunities for visually impaired youngsters to be part of the beloved game.

Founded in 2012 by Mlungisi Msibi, the organisation focuses on community transformation through sport, education and agriculture. As part of this mission, Msibi helped to establish the Johannesburg Blind Football Association (JBFA), opening the door to visually impaired players to play the sport.

An estimated 2.2 billion people globally live with blindness or moderate to severe visual impairment, according to the World Health Organization. Visio International estimates that more than one million people in South Africa have some form of visual impairment.

The JBFA has also helped to make the dreams of two brothers, Sibusiso and Mduduzi Lukhele, a reality. They share a love for soccer, but their real passion lies in narrating it and bringing matches to life from the commentary box.

Live from the box

When Sibusiso (23) and Mduduzi (22) joined the JBFA almost five years ago, they started out as players.

Both brothers were born completely blind, but they have loved the game since a young age.

When their mother bought them a radio, they realised their passion and dreams lay in commentary.

Sibusiso said they would constantly listen to Ukhozi FM, the most popular radio station in the country with close to eight million weekly listeners.

“The brothers are loving, shy, but passionate about what they do,” said Msibi. “They are very committed – they come to every training session – and they are big dreamers. They dream about being commentators on Ukhozi FM.”

Watching them narrate soccer games on the porch of the JBFA premises for years, Msibi was inspired to give the brothers a platform. “Corinthians is very innovative. As the home of blind football, what we seek to do is to create platforms for visually impaired people,” he said.

When benefactors from Germany visited Corinthians Africa, they donated technological equipment such as drones, helping the organisation to begin streaming its matches.

The support sparked an idea, and Msibi asked for help in providing headsets and microphones to create the platform for Sibusiso and Mduduzi to take on the commentary roles they longed for.

“When I shared it with Sibusiso and Mduduzi, they couldn’t believe it,”
said Msibi.

A dream come true

The commentary initiative was launched in February – in time for the first preseason game. The brothers were to be set up at a table with mics and someone on the field with an amplifier and transmitter would give them a play-by-play of the game.

But what is life without a few obstacles?

When the amplifiers and transmitters did not arrive on time, Msibi had to improvise with cellphones. An assistant on the field used one to tell Sibusiso and Mduduzi what was happening in the game.

Using the play-by-play provided, the brothers added flavour to narrate an exciting game of blind football.

After the game, the brothers went in search of Msibi. “They came and hugged me and they said: ‘Thank you for making our dreams come true. Thank you for making this special for us.’”

He added: “I think what we’re trying to create is not a picture of guys who can only play soccer, but a picture that they can do anything. I think we’re really starting to achieve that.”

By providing this platform for both athletes and storytellers who are visually impaired, Msibi believes a more inclusive South Africa is ­created. It enables members of this community to be seen as more than their disability.

“They can commentate, they can play soccer, they can do so much more. And I think that’s the picture and that’s the narrative we’re trying to drive: that they should be included in the economy,” he said.

The makings of the game

Blind football is typically compared with five-a-side soccer, or futsal.

Like futsal, there are four outfield players and one goalkeeper. The pitch is smaller and it is enclosed in a “box” with boards.

But here is where it gets interesting: the ball has bells inside, much like in blind cricket, which allows players to follow its movements and strike it using sound. It also means that spectators are not allowed to make a sound.

“Hearing is a big thing,” said Msibi. “It’s a big thing because they need to hear the ball and its movement.”

To level the playing field because everyone has different levels of visual impairment, players are masked with goggles that resemble ski goggles.

The goalkeeper, who typically can see, acts as one of three technical guides for the outfield players. The coach is another technical guide and the third one sits behind the goal box on the opposite end to guide players to the net.

“The beauty of blind football is you’re finding people who can’t see scoring against the goalkeeper who can see,” said Msibi.

Although the JBFA has been around since 2021, an official league was only established last year. Its teams have increased from four to six, said Msibi.

Now, they are gearing up to attend the USA Blind Soccer International Cup, an international rankings tournament that is due to take place in May. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly DM168 newspaper, available countrywide for R35.