Courtesy: UEFA.com

Note: due to the fact that this report has been written before the end of the past season, some indications will result as wrong

Team Profile
Hungary bring nearly 25 years' history in the sport to the hosting of the 2010 UEFA European Futsal Championship. Their debut international was on 18 November 1986, beating Peru 8-3 in Budapest in FIFA's first unofficial futsal tournament, which Hungary went on to win, beating the likes of Spain and Italy. A decade later their first league was set up with two divisions, and in 2001/02 Csõ-Montage Budapest FC reached the eight-team final tournament of the first UEFA Futsal Cup.

In modern competitions, Hungary were at the first FIFA Futsal World Cup in 1989, opening with a 3-2 win against eventual champions Brazil but falling in the second group stage. It was some time before their next qualification, for the 2005 European Championship with 4-2 defeats of Latvia, Greece and Croatia, though they did not secure a point in the finals. Undergoing an intense programme of 2009 friendlies, Hungary hope to do better on home territory.

Key players
Most of the players, certainly the starting five, will be familiar from the 2005 finals. Zoltán Balázs is a top-class goalkeeper while Zsolt Gyurcsányi and Tamás Lódi are the leading players. János Madarász and Szabolcs Tóth have Romanian league experience.

Tournament record
2007: Did not qualify
2005: Group stage
2003: Did not qualify
2001: Did not qualify
1999: Did not qualify
1996: Did not qualify


Coach Profile: Mihály Kozma

Date of birth: 7 November 1956

Playing career: Debrecen VSC

Coaching career: Debrecen VSC, Hungary (assistant), Csõ-Montage Budapest FC, Hungary, ACS Odorheiu Secuiesc

Not only is Mihály Kozma a futsal expert, but also a professional art historian. He began coaching in his home town of Debrecen, where the UEFA European Futsal Championship final will be played, and in 1997 became the Hungary assistant. Kozma then took over Csõ-Montage Budapest FC, leading them to the 2000/01, 2001/02 and 2002/03 Hungarian doubles, also reaching the eight-team finals of the inaugural UEFA Futsal Cup in the middle season.

In 2003 he was appointed to the Hungary helm and took them to their European finals debut in Ostrava in 2005 where they performed admirably in a group containing holders Italy, eventual winners Spain and Portugal. He also now coaches ACS Odorheiu Secuiesc in a Hungarian-speaking region of Romania, where with several national-team charges in the ranks they won the 2007/08 league title. Kozma's sides are well-organised and play on the counter, in Hungary's case based around central striker János Madarász holding the ball up.



Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com