THERE WAS A lovely moment in the stands at Anfield the other night just after Mo Salah’s goal that ultimately sealed Liverpool’s progression in the Champions League.
Video footage soon went viral of a Liverpool fan describing the 34th-minute goal to his blind cousin.
26-year-old Mike Kearney, a livelong Reds supporter, was born with sight problems and has been registered blind since the age of seven.
“I’m like every other football fan — it doesn’t matter if I can’t see clearly, I still celebrate,” he told BBC Sport. “It was just relief that we scored.
“I wish I could see more but that doesn’t mean I can’t form an opinion of my own.
“It’s difficult for people that can see to understand, but I think of it as normal to me and I have been like that all my life. It’s just the way I watch the game.”
This blind fan celebrating Salah’s goal after his friend tells him about the play is amazing!
— !!! (@loonyroon) December 12, 2018
The beautiful game ❤️ pic.twitter.com/4EKJJ1k2Et
“It was very blurry,” he added. “Up close at the Kop End I am OK, but further away the ball gets harder to see. It wasn’t hard to work out what happened with noise.”
Kearney also noted that he prefers to just listen to the atmosphere — and his friends — during the game, rather than listen to commentary.
“I like just being involved in the atmosphere and hearing what my cousin thinks – and anyone else, whether it’s five rows back and a pleasant comment or not.
“If it’s not my cousin Stephen with me then it’s other friends, it’s just normal for us. I find it weird, the reaction. It’s nice, but a little bit strange!”
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A really nice story and vastly different from the recent Chelsea stories.
Fair play lads