Jean-Michel Goncalves, blind Nancy capo keeping the songs roaring | OneFootball

Blind capo Jean-Michel Goncalves, 51, is still the voice of AS Nancy Lorraine’s ultras. Nancy host Montpellier at 20:45 on Friday in their first home Ligue 2 match at Marcel-Picot.

According to L'Équipe, he lost his sight in 2008 yet kept terraces he has visited for 44 years. Childhood trips with his father to Nancy and Metz fixed his allegiance to Nancy, and away days soon hooked him.

He first took a megaphone at Wasquehal with only 10 travellers, then co-founded ASNL F@N Connexion in 2001. He became capo, did four full sets of away games from 2006 to 2009, and missed a fifth when his guide dog arrived.

Trips across France brought cherished nights, notably at Bordeaux’s Connemara pub. In the tribune Schuth he still leads, sensing swings in joy, tension and frustration, and has even celebrated before the ball crossed the line.

He has sampled other away ends with Dijon fans in Amiens, Ajaccio and Metz to feel a different mindset. Now he sticks with ASNL, balancing support with his child and his business.

He praises many ultras’ inclusivity but regrets wheelchair users being confined to set zones. He has long pushed for disabled fans to choose where they watch.

The Saint-Max native has also fought to cut travel costs for Nancy fans. He keeps no stubs, not even from the 2006 Coupe de la Ligue win over Nice, 2-1, and as a corporate masseur he is recognised beyond his department as Minus, though Nancy remains his family.

Source: L'Équipe

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