Report by Konstantin Serikov

Uzbekistan futsal national team starts final preparations for AFC Champs

The AFC Futsal Championship 2010 will begin in Tashkent on May 23rd. Sixteen of the strongest nations in the Asian continent will take part in the tournament, including Uzbekistan. Hosts are considered as one of the tournament favourites.

The AFC Futsal Championship 2010 will be the second tournament which the Uzbek capital hosts in its history.

Uzbekistan head coach, the brazilian Sergio Sapo, started to work with the team since September 1st 2009 and already achieved the third place in the Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam, as well as the second place in recent tournament in Thailand.

Fans of Uzbekistan hope that their side can win this prestigious tournament. Sergio Sapo already has such experience as he claimed the title with Japan in Tashkent in 2006.

Sapo started final preparations on April 30th. The team carried out fitness training in the first week and later worked on tactical preparation.

Currently, Uzbekistan is holding preparation in Tashkent, with the CSKA Moscow keeper Rustam Umarov beeing the last in joining the team on May 13th.

Uzbekistan players aim to achieve great results in the tournament.
Fahriddin Samegov and Nadir Elibaev will make their debut in the AFC Futsal Championship.

Nadir Elibaev said the championship was long way for him and it's a basic start for him: "I hope that I will play well".
In his turn, Samegov said: "I got acquainted with futsal last year and I am happy that I was able to become a player of the Uzbek national team. Let's hope that after 15 days we will become Asian champions."









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