Courtesy: The AFC.com


AFC Futsal Club Championship - MD1

Thursday, 04 March 2010

The opening round of the inaugural AFC Futsal Club Championship kicks-off on Thursday at the Pirouzi Stadium in Esfahan, with Qatar's Al Sadd and Pro’s Café of Lebanon having the honour of playing the new tournament’s historic first match.

The Group B curtain raiser is followed by NSW (New South Wales) Thunder taking on Wuhan Dilong before Iranians Stroitel Zarafshan face Japanese champions Nagoya Oceans in the opening match in Group A, which has been reduced to four teams after Nawrouz was eliminated from the competition following FIFA’s suspension of Iraq.

Match Day 1 - 04/03/10

Group A
Stroitel Zarafshan (IRN) v Nagoya Oceans (JPN)
1630hrs

Group B
Al Sadd (QAT) v Pro’s Café (LIB)
1130hrs

NSW Thunder (AUS) v Wuhan Dilong (CHN)
1400hrs

(All times local, all matches played at Pirouzi Stadium, Esfahan)




Courtesy: The AFC.com


Tournament set to take Asian futsal forward, says Mamedov

Wednesday, 03 March 2010

ESFAHAN - Stroitel Zarafshan coach Anvar Mamedov believes the inaugural AFC Futsal Club Championship marks an important step in the development of the sport in Asia as the Uzbekistan side prepare for their Group A opener against Japanese powerhouse Nagoya Oceans at Pirouzi Stadium on Thursday.

While the national team championship has been going for over a decade, Iranian city Esfahan hosts the first edition of the tournament at club level which features the nine strongest sides across Asia.

Aside from Stroitel and Nagoya, Iranians Foolad Mahan and AUB Altyn Tash Bishkek of Kyrgyzstan make up the rest of Group A.

It will be the first time all four sides have competed against each other and consequently Mamedov believes it is impossible to predict who will become the first-ever winners of the tournament.

“We are very happy to participate in this tournament and I hope there will be many more like this in the future,” he said.

“I am sure this will help develop futsal in Asia.

“I believe that any of these teams here could win this tournament. We will do our best to prove that we deserve to be here.”

Nagoya Oceans arrived in Esfahan fresh from securing the Japan Futsal League title for the third year running.

The Japanese champions are considered one of best sides in Asia and, along with hosts Foolad, are strong favourites to win the tournament.

And while Portuguese (Futsalplanet note: Brazilian) coach Adil Amarante believes the battle to be part of history and become the maiden winners of the tournament will be very close, he has set his sights on leading his side to lifting the trophy.

“Of course all teams here have a chance of success but our target is to the win the tournament,” he said.

Foolad, who won the Iran Fustal Super League title last month, will begin their Group A campaign on Friday against AUB Altyn Tash Bishkek.

The top two teams from Group A and Group B will advance to the semi-finals.




Courtesy: The AFC.com


Tough ties ahead as futsal’s finest ‘enter the unknown’

Wednesday, 03 March 2010

ESFAHAN – New South Wales Thunder coach Jamie Amendolia insists no team has yet earned the favourites tag as they prepare to kick off their Group B campaign of the maiden AFC Futsal Club Championship against Wuhan Dilong of China at Pirouzi Stadium on Thursday.

The Australians trained in Esfahan for the first time on Monday and are in confident mood as they prepare to vie with Wuhan, Pro's Cafe of Lebanon, Port Authority of Thailand and Qataris Al Sadd for a place in the semi-finals.

The Thunder recently enlisted Jack Whetney of the Solomon Islands with the tournament in mind and the striker will add a touch of flair to the team, but Amendolia believes the fact that the AFC Futsal Club Championship is the first of its kind in Asia means all nine sides in the competition will start on an equal footing.

When asked who are favourites to win, he said: “It is very hard to say. We don't know much about the other teams.

“We cannot make any predictions and until we see the first few days of games it will be hard to judge.

“Our group looks hard and we expect each game to be tough. We just want to get past the first game against Wuhan and then take each game as it comes.”

In the other game in the group, Al Sadd open against Pro's Cafe with Brazilian coach Fabiano Ribeiro confident his side are ready for the tournament.

Al Sadd held a six-day training camp in Egypt before beating the Kuwait national team 3-1 in a friendly prior to arriving in Esfahan and Ribeiro is satisfied with his side's preparations.

“We had a good training camp in Egypt before playing Kuwait, who are one of the best in the world at futsal,” he said.

“We know this will be a very hard competition with the strongest teams in Asia here so it will be tough.”

Pro's Cafe coach Rabih Abou Chaaya admitted that while his side - like the rest of the teams in the tournament - are heading into the unknown, they fear no one.

“I think Group B is very strong,” he said.

“All the teams are very experienced and though we don't know the other teams, they also don't know us.

"Our first aim to get to the next round but we are not afraid of anyone.”

The top two teams from Group A and Group B will advance to the semi-finals.


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