Courtesy: www.uefa.com

Jarni raises Futsal profile
Monday, 06 October 2003

The UEFA Futsal Cup is now in its third edition and making headlines across Europe.

Profile raised
However, the presence of former Real Madrid CF and Croatia star Robert Jarni in this season's first qualifying round is also doing much to raise the fast-flowing sport's profile. As a footballer, Jarni played 81 times at international level including three appearances at the FIFA World Cup finals, and captained the Croatian team in 2002.

Looking forward
Jarni, who turns 35 later this month, has been with Croatia's top Futsal club MNK Split since March and is hoping to pass on his years of experience from clubs like Madrid, Juventus FC and HNK Hajduk Split to their Futsal Cup challenge. uefa.com caught up with Jarni to ask him about his hopes for the future.

uefa.com: Have you always played Futsal, was it a sport you played as a child?

Robert Jarni: Yes, my first steps [in football] were playing Futsal - we made goals out of two stones, played on concrete and it is great to remember those days. At the beginning I played both handball and football and later athletics too. When I was 15 I decide that football is my favourite sport.

uefa.com: What do you like about the sport?

Jarni: Personally, I enjoy it because it is very fast but also because if you have a good brain you can achieve success. For me, it was very hard decision to stop playing football, but fortunately I have a chance to play with the best Futsal players and I enjoy the game. I enjoy in dribbling in small places, and the games are interesting because even if you are two or three goals ahead it is not guaranteed that you'll win.

uefa.com: How does Futsal compare to playing football at the very highest level?

Jarni: It is totally different. [In Futsal] you cannot take a break, you cannot sleep on the field for a moment, and tactics are very important. I had a few problems with the small ball at the beginning, but fortunately I am playing with excellent Futsal players, so it did not take too mlong to adapt.

uefa.com: Are you able to pass on your experience to your team-mates at MNK Split - do you enjoy helping young players to develop?

Jarni: I am able to give them experience from important and big games, but also they help me with their Futsal experience, small tactics and tricks which are very important specially in close games.

uefa.com: Are you looking forward to playing in the UEFA Futsal Cup? What can the team achieve this season?

Jarni: We have been rebuilding the team in a small way, so at the moment we have three or four young players that need some time [to settle in]. Me and my team-mates, international Futsal players like [Nikola] Tomicic, [Alen] Delpont, [Aljosa] Stanicic and [Ivica] Osibov will all help them to make the step from very good players to international level players. We will be satisfied if we win Group 2, and we expect that we are able to do so.

uefa.com: How long will you play Futsal for? Do you have any desire to play for the Croatia national team at Futsal?

Jarni: I will play as long as I am in good condition. And next week I am going with the Croatian Futsal national team to play against European champions Italy.