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: Slovenia

Slovenia are one of several nations to emerge from the former Yugoslavia with futsal as a popular winter sport and they are in their second final tournament at this level, following an impressive improvement in the last decade. They first played as an independent nation in September 1995, drawing 1-1 and losing 3-0 in Slovakia, and their competitive debut was a 3-2 defeat of Belarus in 1996 FIFA Futsal World Cup qualifying.

At the start of the decade they were getting closer to a maiden qualification, pipped 3-1 by Croatia to the 2001 UEFA European Futsal Championship finals, and two years later they made it by beating Greece, Armenia and the Netherlands, though lost all three games in Italy. For the 2005 finals, Slovenia were in a qualifying group with Spain but only missed out on goal difference after a 3-3 draw, and in 2007 were pipped in a three-way tie-break by Romania in a thrilling group. The expansion of the finals to 12 teams proved a bonus this time, though, while they also qualified for the first UEFA European Under-21 Futsal Tournament in 2008. At club level KMN Svea Lesna Litija were among the last eight of the 2004/05 UEFA Futsal Cup.

How they qualified
Slovenia travelled to France for Group 7, and at half-time against the hosts in their opener found themselves 2-0 down. Slavisa Goranovic, Gasper Vrhovec and Gorazd Drobnic averted disaster by ensuring a 3-2 win, meaning a 2-0 loss to Russia the next day, although it ended their hopes of topping the group, did not kill off their chances of being one of the four best runners-up. And Slovenia ensured they were in that quartet by beating Montenegro 7-1 despite trailing until the 15-minute mark.

Key players
Captain Benjamin Melink is at the heart of the side and his club, Slovenian champions KMN Puntar, provide the core of the squad, including Rajko Ursic. Meanwhile KMN Gorica duo Gorazd Drobnic and Slavisa Goranovic provide goals.

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



Coach Profile: Andrej Dobovicnik

Date of birth: 14 October 1967

Playing career: EM Pelikani, KMN Juventus, KMN Mizarstvo Širovnik, KMN Dobovec

Coaching career: EM Pelikani, Slovenia

Father-of-two Andrej Dobovicnik is an economics graduate and works for a leading telecommunications firm but his passion is sport, and especially futsal; indeed he continues to play in tournaments with his contemporaries.

Most of his playing career was spent at EM Pelikani of Celjem who he joined in 1981 and remained until 1995, when he moved to Mila club KMN Juventus, winning the Slovenian title in his first season. In 1997 he joined Kroselj side KMN Mizarstvo Sirovnik and another league crown followed, and he performed the trick for the third time on his Pelikani return in 1999/00.

Dobovicnik ended his playing career in 2004 and was soon Pelikani coach. In November 2005 he took the helm of the national team and at his second attempt led them to the UEFA European Futsal Championship finals for 2010 after a narrow failure in 2007.


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