Courtesy: Uefa.com

Boomerang aim to bounce back

By Andy Hall

As part of coverage of the 2003/04 UEFA Futsal Cup, uefa.com considers the form and fortunes of the two clubs given the honour of hosting the second qualifying round mini-tournaments. Here we look at Boomerang Interviú F.S., the Spanish champions.

Final denial

Boomerang have plenty of reason to crave success in the UEFA Futsal Cup this season. They have won several major honours in recent years and were denied a place in last season's final only after it emerged that they had fielded an ineligible player during a March qualifying match. The presence of the suspended Javier Orol in an 11-3 victory against Norilsky Nickel meant the result was changed to 3-0 for the Russian side.

Spanish ambition

Despite that disappointment, the Madrid-based team went on to claim the domestic title and look well-placed to repeat that feat after a terrific first half to the season. Their determination to succeed on the European stage is furthered by the fact that domestic rivals Playas de Castellón F.S. have won the first two editions of the UEFA Futsal Cup.

Goals galore

This time round, Boomerang started with a bang. They won comfortably their first qualifying round mini-tournament with three wins out of three in Lithuania last October. First up were FC Iberia 2000 of Georgia who succumbed to an 11-3 defeat. It was an even more one-sided story against KMF VIP Sofia of Bulgaria with the Spanish side running out 22-0 winners. The successful campaign concluded with a 5-0 victory against the mini-tournament hosts FK Inkaras.

Tough for hosts

Despite being the host team themselves for their second qualifying round mini-tournament, Boomerang will undoubtedly have a harder time of it, with Castellón the biggest threat of all. The other two contenders for the one final spot on offer will be FC InterKraz Kyiv from Ukraine and ZVV West Stars of the Netherlands.

International experience

Boomerang will start as favourites to progress to the final in their 25th year in existence. The club, who began life as Hora XXV in 1977, boast a number of internationals and will certainly be the team to beat. Among them are Spanish internationals Luis Amado, Julio, Andréu, Daniel Ibañes, Javi Limones and Javier Orol. Add to that the Brazilian brillance of Schumacher and the vast experience offered to the squad of goalkeeper Jesús Clavería, now in his 16th season with Boomerang.

Going for glory

It all points to a positive future for the team nicknamed the Máquina Verde, or the Green Machine. With plenty to prove in the UEFA Futsal Cup, there is no reason to think Jesús Candela's side will not power their way to success this year.