Courtesy: The AFC.com


Futsalroos gear up for Asian qualifiers

Monday, 25 January 2010

SYDNEY – Australia’s preparations for next month’s AFC Futsal Championship ASEAN qualifiers began in earnest on Sunday with the start of two-day training camp in Sydney that head coach Steven Knight will use to help select his squad for February’s matches in Jakarta.

Eighteen players have been named for the camp with 14 to be named for the qualifying tournament in the Indonesian capital, where the Futsalroos face hosts Indonesia and Myanmar in Group A.

The top two teams advance to the for the cross-over semi-finals against the best two from Group B – which consists of Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines – with the top three teams qualifying for the 2010 AFC Futsal Championship which will be played in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from May 23 to 30.

“The group that we have selected are the in-form players from the last few months and recent FFA National Futsal Championships,” said Knight, who was assistant coach to Scott Gilligan when Australia reached the quarter-finals of the 2008 AFC Futsal Championship.

“There are also a number of talented young players in the group who will benefit from the experience of being involved in the training and may even push for selection.

“A number of overseas-based players are also under consideration so for the players who attend at this training camp it will be their only opportunity to impress before the final squad is named.”


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