www.uefa.com

Final preview: Action 21 Charleroi:

Formerly known as Sambreville, Action 21 Charleroi have risen to become the standard bearer for Belgium's flourishing Futsal league.

Title triumphs
The club won promotion to the first division in 1996, before going on to win two consecutive league championships. In 1999, the club merged with Charleroi and won the league title and the Belgian Super Cup. Winners of the last three Belgian championships, the club were contenders in the inaugural UEFA Futsal Cup, going on to reach the final in March 2002.

Gap narrowing
More recently, Charleroi have won a competition designed to find the champion club from the Benelux countries. While they were comprehensively beaten 5-1 in the 2002 UEFA Futsal Cup final, the signs are that the gap is narrowing with the stronger nations. Indeed, the Belgian national side drew 1-1 with Spain in the recent UEFA European Futsal Championship.

THE COACH:
Ricardo Menezes da Silva, a coach since 1979 is now in his second season with Charleroi. He has skilfully blended Brazilian and Belgian talent in his team. With injuries a problem last time around, he is sure his side can improve on that showing. "This year we are all hoping we can go one better than our performance at last year's UEFA Futsal Cup."

Tough task
He added: "We hope we can prove that we are capable of getting a result on the pitch. This year we will have more or less a full squad to choose from for the two legs." The Brazilian, who spent a season in charge of final opponents Playas de Castellón in 1998, has coached in Spain and is well aware of the task facing his team. "We hope we can overcome Playas de Castellón, one of the strongest teams in Europe, if not the world," he added.

PLAYER'S VIEW
Mohamed Boukamir, the Charleroi captain, is also in determined mood, and has a similar message to his coach. "Last year, the simple fact that we reached the final was an achievement in itself. We hope to make the most of this, our second chance to win this prestigious final. We will prepare for it in the best possible way and will do all we can to give ourselves the best chance possible."

ROUTE TO THE FINAL
Charleroi started their first qualifying round mini-tournament in fine style, beating FK Inkaras of Lithuania 6-0. They followed that up with a 5-2 victory against Slovakian hosts ŠK Program Dubnica nad Váhom. Charleroi then finished with an emphatic 27-1 triumph against KS Flamurtari of Albania.

Harder test
The matches got tougher in the second qualifying round, but Charleroi still proved their ability. As mini-tournament hosts, they were first up against Russian side Norilsky Nickel, winning 7-4, before losing 8-5 against crack Spanish club Interviu Boomerang. Charleroi's campaign ended with a 4-0 success against MNK Split of Croatia.