Courtesy: msn.foxsports.com

FIFA chief hopes Futsal World Championship will push the popularity of soccer

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Hosting the Futsal World Championship will provide a big boost to soccer in baseball-crazy Taiwan, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Saturday.

Blatter is visiting Taiwan to attend Sunday's opening of the tournament on behalf of soccer's world governing body.
Futsal, or indoor soccer, is played by five players per side over two 20-minute periods. The playing surface is the size of a basketball court.

Blatter said he wasn't worried that the immense popularity of baseball in Taiwan would dampen interest in the futsal competition.

Futsal and soccer are attractive sports, said Blatter, who added "(Soccer) is a sport of emotion and passion, and is more dynamic than baseball."

Taiwan succeeded in beating bids by Australia and Iran to host the competition because "a huge majority of the opinion (in FIFA) think it will be good for the development of soccer in this country," Blatter said.

The world soccer chief also said that for the first time, FIFA would give an award for the Futsal Player of the Year in Zurich, Switzerland, on Dec. 20.

The 2004 tournament is the fifth since the competition began in 1989. The Brazilians won the first three championships, but their 11 years of domination ended with a 4-3 loss to Spain in the final at Guatemala
four years ago.

The tournament, ending Dec. 5, also features teams from Taiwan, Egypt, Australia, Italy, Japan, Argentina, Portugal, Thailand, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Paraguay, the United States, Iran and Cuba.