Blatter greets deaf Swiss teams

Blatter greets deaf Swiss teams


The third European Deaf Futsal Championships is currently taking place in Winterthur, Switzerland, with 23 men's and 13 women's teams all battling to lift their respective continental trophies. Despite a packed fixture schedule, both Swiss national teams found time to visit the Home of FIFA in Zurich on Wednesday, 10 November, where they were greeted by FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.

"It's a great joy and honour to have you here during such an exciting tournament. You're using your football skills integrate into society, which shows great heart. I wish you every success at the European Championships, and I hope football continues to bring you plenty of happiness," said Blatter in his welcome speech.

Fabio de Vito, captain of the Swiss men's side, concluded the visit by thanking the FIFA President for the reception before looking ahead to his team's upcoming knockout-round match. "We've worked hard on our development and now we're in the Round of 16 for a second time. We're highly motivated to progress even further in this competition. Who knows what can happen?"

Berny Arpagaus, captain of the Swiss women's team, was inspired by the meeting with President Blatter. "We've played well up to now but we haven't reached the knockout round yet. We're hoping we can do so in our next match. It was great to be here today. The visit has given us a real boost."