Courtesy: www.fifa.com
(FIFA.com) 2 May 2003


FIFA Futsal World Championship
Chang Chan-Wei: A unique competition

The finest practitioners of the sport of futsal will gather in Chinese Taipei next year to compete in the FIFA Futsal World Championship. The staging of the sport’s supreme tournament on the island is a fitting tribute to the huge growth in the game in Asia over the past few years. The General Secretary of TPFC (Taipei Peitou Football Club), Chang Chan-Wei, spoke with FIFA.com of his pride at organising the event, the challenges ahead and his hopes for the home nation.

FIFA.com: How did the Chinese Taipei Football Association react when it was announced that you had been chosen to stage the tournament?
Chang Chan-Wei: We were delighted, of course. As soon as we heard, we sent out press releases all over the country, which were met with a very warm response by both the media and the public at large. The news has certainly got people talking.

What does this competition represent for you?
China already has the experience of organising a major event - the Asian Women’s Championship - but this is a first for us. Despite all the inherent pressure, we will do our utmost to ensure the tournament is a resounding success.

Will you draw experience from previous tournaments?
All the previous FIFA Futsal World Championships have been fabulous. We should learn from the experiences of our predecessors whilst adding a touch of local culture. If we manage to find the right blend between old and new, I think we can look forward to a truly unique competition.

Compared to other sports, how popular is futsal in your country?
Futsal is a relatively new phenomenon here; it was only introduced seven or eight years ago. Since then, we have received assistance from FIFA in training referees, coaches and educators. Now we hope the FIFA Futsal World Championship will attract more people to the sport.

How are preparations going?
The competition starts one year from now, but, because we want to make a good impression, we have already drawn up a timetable for foreign coaches to come and train our players.

What is the most difficult aspect about hosting a competition of this kind?
Organising a competition like this is new for us. There are several challenges, but the trickiest is making sure we get the finances right. That’s always the sticking point.

Who are you hoping to see in the crowd?
Everyone, but we have invited representatives from FIFA, the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) and the EAFF (East Asian Football Federation). We hope to see local and international personalities who have contributed to the development of the sport.

How do people expect Chinese Taipei to perform?
All the teams will want to win, and Chinese Taipei are no exception. We have a programme in place to prepare for the competition. We want our players to be at the very peak of their form so they can go on and win the trophy. That is our aim.