Courtesy: UEFA


Azzurri to get the ball rolling

Thursday, 13 January 2005

Holders Italy will kick off the UEFA European Futsal Championship finals against Portugal on Monday 14 February.

Four games in one venue

The two nations drew 0-0 in last year's FIFA Futsal World Championship - in which Italy reached the final - but have not met in this tournament since 1999, when their match finished 3-3. They will open Group B at Ostrava's CEZ Arena at 12.30CET, with the other pool game between Hungary and world champions Spain following. Later that day, at the same venue, hosts the Czech Republic will face 2001 runners-up Ukraine in Group A, in which Russia will then play the Netherlands at 18.30.

Italy meet Spain

Portugal's showdown with neighbours Spain is the highlight of the next day's action, which will start at 14.30 when Italy take on Hungary. After a rest day, the groups will conclude on 17 February with the final group matches being played simultaneously at the CEZ Arena and Sareza Hall, with Group A games beginning at 17.30 and Group B at 19.30, including the World Championship final rematch between Italy and Spain.

Final fixtures

All the remaining action is at the CEZ Arena, with the semi-finals the day after the final group outings at 15.30 and 18.30, and the deciding games on Sunday 20 February. The third-place play-off will kick off at 14.00 and the final at 17.15.



Courtesy: UEFA

Futsal future on Ostrava agenda

Friday, 28 January 2005

UEFA has confirmed the programme for the 1st UEFA Futsal Workshop, which will coincide with the fourth staging of the UEFA European Futsal Championship in Ostrava.

Prestigious event
The two-day event will take place from 18-20 February and has been organised by European football's governing body in tandem with the Football Association of the Czech Republic. In a joint message, UEFA President Lennart Johansson and UEFA Chief Executive Lars-Christer Olsson explained that the prestigious event had a clear intention of promoting the sport across Europe, especially to those new to Futsal.

Sharing views

"The workshop will provide an opportunity for the exchange of information on this specialised section of the game and to promote the fastest-growing indoor sports activity," they said. "During the workshop, there will be a review of the history of Futsal, an introduction to the FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game and analyses of the most exciting moments of recent Futsal competitions, both from the players' and coaches' perspectives."

Expert addresses

The workshop will be held at the Imperial Hotel in the Czech city and include a number of prestigious guests from Europe's football associations and the sport in general. Those present will receive the UEFA perspective on all areas of Futsal's development while other guest speakers will include UEFA Futsal Committee chairman Petr Fousek, international referee Pedro Galán Nieto, former footballer turned Futsal star Robert Jarni and respected Futsal coaches Vic Hermans and Mico Martic.


Courtesy: UEFA

Futsal finalists show their hands

Friday, 28 January 2005

The eight contenders for the 2005 UEFA European Futsal Championship have named their initial squads for the 14-20 February finals.

Familiar faces

The final 14-man selections will be chosen from these lists by 13 February. Many familiar faces look set to be involved such as Vinicius Bacaro, the Italian match-winner in the 2003 final, and Spanish stars like Kike and Marcelo, who scored in the 2004 FIFA Futsal World Championship showpiece. World champions Spain will also be delighted to have Daniel at their disposal after he missed last year's event in Chinese Taipei.

Some surprises

However, there are some surprises with Gennadiy Lysenchuk, the Ukraine coach leaving out established names like Georgiy Melnikov and Ramis Mansurov in favour of a younger squad although Serhiy Koridze, the seven-goal top scorer from 2001 and 2003, is included. The youngest player with a chance of going to Ostrava is 19-year-old Russian defender Alexandre Foukine while the oldest is 39-year-old Dutch goalkeeper Patrick Gerardus Johannes Thomassen.

Full coverage

Next week, uefa.com will begin its full coverage of the finals with a special mini-section profiling the teams, coaches, key players and referees, along with guides to Ostrava and the two tournament venues. There will also be special features such as Futsal in Europe, a review of the competition so far and ten things you didn't know about the world's fastest growing indoor sport.

Czech Republic squad

Kaspar, Klima, Krayzel, Meller, Fric, Hoffmann, Kamenický, Levcík, Rajnoch, Sluka, Havel, Pleyer, R Mareš, Blazej, Dlouhý, Lechovic, M Mareš, Musial, Polasek, Sláma.

Russia squad

Stepanov, Zuyev, Khomutinnikov, Garagulya, Levin, Foukine, Dushkevich, Markin, Shayakhmetov, Chistopolov, Trifonov, Gorbunov, Levin, Ivanov, Malyshev, Khamadiyev, Timoshchenkov, Korol, Abyshev, Antipov.

Portugal squad

J. Benedito, Sandro, Estrela, Leo, Marcelinho, Ivan, Joel, André, M. Almeida, Gonçalo, J. Maria, Israel, Zézito, Silvio, Formiga, Luís Silva, Alex, Ricardinho, M. Fernandes, Bibi.

Netherlands squad

Thomassen, Bos, Heerland, Rozenbeek, Merlino, Thies, Makhoukhi, Brands, Sneek, Hulshorst, El Morabiti, Tjaden, Blankendal, Grunholz, Lelemahulu, Ngarigota, Idlaasri, Pereira, Kaleveld.

Hungary squad

Balázs, Berecz, Márkus, S Tóth, Szalay, Simon, Somogyi, Szimcsák, Frank, Csernai, Hamar, Németh, Mucsányi, Baranyai, Madarász, Gyurcsányi, Lódi, Szabó, M Tóth, Vígh.

Ukraine squad

Sukhomlinov, Vlasenko, Vasylchenko, Popov, Morgunov, Khursov, Kudlay, Romanov, Pylypiv, Shaytanov, Nesteruk, Brunko, Zamyatin, Rogachov, Sytin, Tsvelykh, Koridze, Kovalyov, Tryhubets, Fedyuk.

Spain squad

Rafa, Luis Amado, Cristian, Paco Sedano, Julio, Fran Serrejón, Kike, J Torras, Javier Orol, Josema, Daniel, Justo Caceres, Andreu, Cobeta, J Limones, Javi Rodríguez, Cogorro, Joan, Marcelo, Fali.

Italy squad

Farina, Feller, Bernardi, Scala, Pellegrini, Bortolon, Fabiano, Grana, Mantovanelli, A Vicentini, Jubanski, Ippoliti, E Bertoni, Danieli, Foglia, Zanetti, Bacaro, Morgado, Sartori, Manzali.