Courtesy: UEFA.com

Czechs gearing up for finals

Thursday, 2 September 2004

The fourth edition of the UEFA European Futsal Championship will be staged by the Czech Republic in 2005.

Spectacular venue

The matches will be played at the spectacular 10,000-capacity Cez Arena in the city of Ostrava. Eight nations, including the Czechs, will be involved in the finals, with the matches likely to be played between 14 and 20 February. The nearby Sareza venue will stage matches on the final day of group games, when decisive fixtures have to start at the same time.

High support

The venue, also used for ice hockey, underwent a major renovation in readiness for the 2004 IIHF World Championship last May. Ostrava mayor Ales Zednik has given his full support to the UEFA event.

Proud past

Granada in Spain staged the first UEFA event in February 1999, with Russia defeating the host nation on penalties after a 3-3 draw. The next city to get the honour was Moscow, with Spain lifting the trophy in the Russian capital after a 2-1 victory against Ukraine. In 2003, Italy became the first hosts to claim the crown by beating Ukraine 1-0 after a tournament played in Caserta and Aversa.