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The AFC.comKomiyama: Japan improving game-by-gameMonday, 28 May 2012Dubai: Japan star Yusuke Komiyama sent out an ominous warning ahead of their 2012 AFC Futsal Championship quarter-final clash with Kyrgyzstan, stating that the East Asian powerhouse is building up momentum as the competition progresses.
A hard-fought opening fixture against Lebanon – which ended with a narrow 3-2 victory thanks to Rafael Henmi's last-gasp winner – was followed by back-to-back 6-1 triumphs over Tajikistan and Chinese Taipei as the 2006 AFC Futsal Championship champions took top spot in Group B with a 100% record.
But Komiyama insists that futsal fans have yet to see the best of Japan and they will move up the gears as the tournament enters the all-important knockout phase.
"We are playing well but not perfect yet and we are taking each game match-by-match and I am sure we will continue to improve as the tournament progresses," Komiyama told www.the-afc.com following Japan's victory over Chinese Taipei.
Komiyama netted his 14th AFC Futsal Championship goal in Sunday's match against the East Asians but it was his strike in the match against Tajikistan a day earlier that hit the headlines as the 32-year-old, who plays for two-time All Japan Championship winners Badral Urayasu, set the tournament record of 6.4 seconds when he received possession on the right side of the area after Alisher Ulmasov was unable to cut out the cross and lashed the ball past Shukhrat Bibudov to eclipse the previous mark of 32 seconds set by Majid Latifi in the Iran versus Malaysia match at the 2007 tournament.
"When I scored I didn't know that it was the record and after being selected for doping control I only knew about it when my team-mates told me back at the hotel," he revealed.
"But of course I am very happy and honoured to make my mark in the history of Asian futsal."
Komiyama and his team-mates will be looking to make their mark on the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship quarter-final against Kyrgyzstan, which kicks-off on Tuesday at 1830 UAE time and will be streamed live on www.the-afc.com.
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The AFC.comAFC committed to futsal development says LaiMonday, 28 May 2012Dubai: AFC Futsal Committee Chairman Richard Lai has reiterated the Asian Football Confederation's commitment to developing and promoting the game throughout the continent.
Speaking at the Team Manager's Meeting ahead of the quarter-finals of the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship, Lai said:
"There is been a lot of development projects being carried out by the AFC in futsal and now many Member Associations are paying attention to the game much more than before.
"But we still have a lot of room to learn and to grow."
In addition to looking into the grassroots and technical side of developing the game throughout the continent Lai remarked that the AFC is keen to popularise and promote the 'small-sided-game' by having a top level competition for clubs annually.
"The AFC are focussing seriously on futsal development and that is why we are having the AFC Futsal Club Championship every year.
"The majority of the players playing at the club level will have a chance to improve and develop."
The AFC Futsal Club Championship takes place in Kuwait in July marking a significant couple of months for Asian futsal coming so soon after the 12th edition of the AFC Futsal Championship, which continues on Tuesday with the eagerly-anticipated quarter-finals.
"I would like to congratulate all the teams who have made it through to the quarter-finals and express the AFC's thanks to the Local Organising Committee for their wonderful hospitality," concluded Lai.
The quarter-finals of the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship take place on Tuesday when eight teams battle to remain in the hunt for Asian futsal glory with a place in the semi-finals, which brings with it qualification to the 2012 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Thailand.
All quarter-final matches will be streamed live on www.the-afc.com.
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The AFC.comAsian futsal on the rise insists RodrigoMonday, 28 May 2012Dubai: Japan coach Miguel Rodrigo has seen a definite improvement in the standard of play at the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship compared with the tournament two years ago.
Japan, the only nation other than Iran to have lifted the AFC Futsal Championship trophy, is one of the continent’s most developed futsal nations with a professional league and a coach that has been working with the national team for the past three years.
Rodrigo, who took part in his first AFC Futsal Championship in 2010 when he led Japan to a third-place finish has guided the East Asians to the last eight in Dubai with a 100% record in the group stage following a hard-fought win over Lebanon and back-to-back 6-1 victories over Tajikistan and Chinese Taipei.
And despite that one-side nature of the last two Group B wins, Rodrigo has continuously stated that there are now, now longer any ‘easy’ at this level, with competing teams keen to benefit from global expertise.
“Coaches in Asia have been working very hard at improving their style of play,” said the Spaniard.
“This is a good motivation for me as someone who works in Asia and I am very happy to see the game of futsal improving here as Asia continues to bridge the gap between them and Europe and Latin America.
“At Uzbekistan 2010 we had a couple of easy games in which our opponents played an ‘antiquated’ style of play. It was slow and nobody pressed; they relied too much on long balls and didn’t elaborate their attacks. It was mini-football and not futsal and futsal is a game of technique, tactics and more ball possession.
“As I have said before there are no easy games at this tournament and now I see most of the teams playing the modern way and maybe a lot to do with this is the introduction of foreign coaches.
“The mentality of coaching in Spain is one of the best in the world and that is why it’s no surprise to say many Spanish coaches here in Dubai. While teams may lack individual quality they are improving technically and tactically and in Asia this is very important.”
But it’s not all rosy in the Asian futsal garden with Rodrigo expressing his disappointment at the ruling that prohibits teams for calling up a replacement for an injured player.
Japan played their last two group matches without key player Shota Hoshi who injured his knee after scoring in the East Asians’ 3-2 opening win over Lebanon.
“Losing one of the best players of the team greatly affects us. I thought that we would be able to call up a replacement but I was told that this is not possible,” Rodrigo recalled.
“For me this is disappointing and is taking a step back in helping promote and develop futsal in Asia.
“I was told by a tournament official that the reason for this is that they can’t be sure a player is genuinely injured or not but in Asia we have the medical technology to identify this.
They allow injury replacements in football but not in futsal and for me this doesn’t make sense.
“Other teams will be affected by this as well and I am only saying that if a regulation is changed, or introduced, then it must be a change for the better and not the worse.”
Rodrigo will be hoping the absence of Hoshi isn’t too costly when Japan take on Kyrgyzstan in the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship quarter-final against Kyrgyzstan, which kicks-off on Tuesday at 1830 UAE time and will be streamed live on www.the-afc.com.
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The AFC.comHistory against us concedes Kyrgyz coach
Monday, 28 May 2012
Dubai: Kyrgyzstan coach Amirzhan Mukanov admits that on paper Japan are the overwhelming favourites in Tuesday 2012 AFC Futsal Championship quarter-final clash but has vowed the Central Asians will be giving it their all to upset the odds.
Kyrgyzstan, semi-finalists in 2005, 2006 and 2007, met Japan at the same stage of the last tournament when the East Asians ran out 4-0 winners in Tashkent.
And while Japan progressed to the last eight with three wins out of three to top Group B, Kyrgyzstan had a more turbulent passage to the knockout phase losing 2-0 to Thailand and defeating hosts UAE before edging Central Asian neighbours Turkmenistan 2-1.
“We played against Japan in the last quarter-final and know that they are one of the best teams here so we wanted to avoid them at this stage because the statistics in the matches between us are not in our favour,” Mukanov said at Monday’s pre-match press conference.
“But at the same time every coach and every player should want to play against team like Japan.
“Comparing Japan to the other teams here, they tend to get better and better and a very good at changing the tactics during a game.
“They have a lot of quality players and are a very strong team but we will give them a good game and do our best to qualify for the semi-finals.”
Kyrgyzstan will be hoping history doesn’t repeat itself when they face 2006 tournament winners Japan at the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship quarter-final, which kicks-off on Tuesday at 1830 UAE time and will be streamed live on www.the-afc.com.
Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com
