Courtesy FIFA.com







Fernando Larrañaga: "We aim to be in the Final"
(FIFA.com) 21 Oct 2003

Argentina's fifth appearance at the FIFA Futsal World Championship heralds a new era. For the first time, the outfit led by Fernando Larrañaga is going into the competition as South American champions. After tasting glory in Paraguay, the Argentinian coach went over recent events with FIFA.com and revealed his dream of making the Final in Chinese Taipei.
At 59, Larrañaga is an old hand as far as FIFA Futsal World Championships are concerned. The next edition will be the fifth consecutive time he has taken the Albiceleste to the global showcase. "And to think I got involved with futsal purely by chance", he reflects," before unwittingly revealing the reality of the discipline in his country, "I have a grocers shop at the moment because it's impossible to make a living from futsal." Any success achieved is clearly down to sheer hard work.

All of which probably explains why the South American title tasted so sweet: "We were really fired up for that tournament. We wanted to qualify and the title came as a result of that. My players, who have lots of experience of playing in Europe, used their heads and that made all the difference," he says. "It was a really tough competition and I think the one coming up will be even tougher. The vast majority of sides have really come on."

Kings dethroned But if there was something special about the crown earned in Paraguay, it was surely the fact his side triumphed over Brazil - who had previously never lost a match in a South American competition -for the second time in a year. Larrañaga thinks there are several reasons for such a turnaround. "We learned when to hit them where it hurts," he says. "We controlled the pace of the game and Lady Luck was on our side. They missed a penalty don't forget."

The Argentinian coach is quick to acknowledge the might of the three-time world champions: "They have the best players in the world, capable of creating no less than 20 chances per half. Attacking football runs in their blood."

Larrañaga is also optimistic about the current state of South American Futsal. "Just about all the teams have improved. If it hadn't been for the pressure of the home crowd, Paraguay could have done even better. Colombia were the dark horses of the competition and showed they have some exceptionally gifted players. Venezuela and Peru are still developing. Uruguay were a disappointment. They had little urgency and few youngsters coming through the ranks. They seemed half asleep."

In search of a dream

Now that they have become champions of South America, Larrañaga hopes to see the start a new chapter for his gifted Argentines. But he knows it will not be easy. "I'm worried because we have not played too many matches," confessed Larrañaga. "But now we have the chance to play in a 'mini' tournament in Brazil with the Brazilians and Belgium. This experience can only help."

Chinese Taipei 2004 poses a unique challenge for the new South American champs, something Larrañaga is well aware of: "After winning the Copa América and beating Brazil twice in a row, we have to aim to be in the Final. We need that little bit of luck, but we can do it."