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: Azerbaijan

The sport of mini-football, similar to futsal, was popular in the former Soviet Union and after independence Azerbaijan organised leagues. The national team entered the 1996 FIFA Futsal World Cup, but did not qualify, a constant theme until the 2009 UEFA European Futsal Championship.

They did have some useful results over the years, with narrow friendly defeats by Spain and Portugal, and they were unbeaten in 2007 qualifying, drawing with the Netherlands and eventual finalists Serbia and beating Finland 8-3. They only missed out on the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup play-off with a 3-2 loss to the Czech Republic, and under Alecio, a Brazilian coach who had much success at Kairat Almaty, Azerbaijan made it to Hungary this time around. On the domestic scene, Araz Naxçivan are dominant, while former Azerbaijan player Rafigu Alizade coached Russian giants MFK Dina Moskva.

How they qualified
Azerbaijan travelled to Portugal for Group 6 games and opening against the hosts only a last-minute Joel Queirós goal denied them victory in a 3-3 draw. The next day it was the other way round as Thiago Rodrigues's strike three minutes from time defeated Poland 4-3. Finland were then beaten 5-1, Thiago scoring two goals for the third game running. Portugal topped the group on goal difference but Azerbaijan comfortably qualified as one of the four best runners-up.

Key players
Naturalised Brazilian Thiago Rodrigues is one of a clutch of Araz players and leads the line. The pace of Radzhab Faradzhzade, a footballer with FK Standard Baký, is vital and there is foreign-based talent in the shape of Vitaliy Borisov, who orignally held a scholarship in Azerbaijani mini-football and now plays for Dina Moskva.

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



Coach Profile: Alecio

Date of birth: 27 September 1968

Nationality: Brazilian

Playing career: Votorantim, FC Barcelona (twice), Inter Ulbra Porto Alegre, CR Vasco de Gama, MFK Spartak Moskva, TTG-Java Yugorsk

Coaching career: MFK Spartak Moskva (player-coach), TTG-Java Yugorsk (player-coach), Kairat Almaty, Araz Naxçivan, Azerbaijan

José Alecio da Silva had plenty of success as a futsal player and is now making his name as a coach. His playing career began in his native Brazil with Votorantim, winning two state championships before a 1993 transfer to FC Barcelona. In his first season in Spain he was voted the league's best player, but returned to Brazil in 1998 with Inter Ulbra Porto Alegre, helping his team win both the national and Rio de Janeiro state titles followed by the Interclubes international tournament. In 2000, he joined CR Vasco de Gama and again immediately won Rio state and Brazilian titles before returning to Barcelona, then joining MFK Spartak Moskva, where he lifted the 2003/04 Russian Super Cup.

Alecio was appointed player-coach at Spartak and although he then went home to rejoin Ulbra, he was soon back in Russia in another player-coach role with TTG-Java Yugorsk. In 2007, Alecio was appointed coach of Kairat Almaty, leading them to the Kazakhstan title and the UEFA Futsal Cup finals before moving on to lead Azerbaijan, and securing their first qualification for a major tournament. He also coaches the nation's leading club, Araz Naxçivan, who beat Kairat 4-3 in November to reach the 2009/10 UEFA Futsal Cup finals, to be held in April.


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