Courtesy: Gulf News


UAE take on Qatar in Futsal friendly Friday

UAE will try out their futsal skills against neighbours Qatar in a friendly match Friday

by Alaric Gomes

May 17, 2012

Dubai - The UAE will try out their futsal skills against neighbours Qatar in a friendly match Friday night prior to their first-ever campaign in the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship which kicks off at two venues next week.

"The squad has been in training for the past few weeks and we will have a good idea of their level following this friendly match against Qatar," Sarmad Zadjaly, CEO and Director of the tournament's Organising Committee told Gulf News.

After an initial preparatory camp under Brazilian coach Paulo Eduardo De Jesus Pinho [Padu], the UAE squad travelled to Lebanon and Turkey last week to play some friendly matches to get more match experience.

In Turkey, the UAE played four friendly matches, winning one and securing draws in the other three — their sole win being a 6-3 success against the Turkish side Besiktas on May 14.

Following their friendly against Qatar today [Friday], the national side will play a second match against Tajikstan on Saturday at their training base in Sharjah.

As hosts, the UAE have been placed in Group A along with Thailand, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan — against whom they play their opening match at 6pm just after the opening ceremony on May 25.


Packed stadium
"We expect a packed stadium for the opening ceremony and the UAE's first match and we need this sort of atmosphere to start off the competition with a win," Zadjaly said.

Meanwhile, some of the participating teams have already started arriving for next week's competition. Tajikstan landed at the Dubai International Airport yesterday, with Lebanon set to arrive on May 19 followed by South Korea the next day.

Indonesia are scheduled to arrive on May 21, while Japan, Iran, Thailand and Uzbekistan will touch down in Dubai on May 22.

Lebanon and South Korea will be involved in a friendly match on May 21, while South Korea will take on Tajikstan in another encounter on May 22.


'Preparations in order'
"All the preparations for this championship are in order and we are just awaiting the arrival of the teams," Zadjaly said.

The four groups will play their preliminary round of matches at the Al Shabab and Al Wasl indoor halls on May 25, 26 and 27. This will be followed by a rest day on May 28, after which the knockout stages will commence.

The 2012 AFC Futsal Championship is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman, Dubai Sports Council.




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