Courtesy: UEFA.com

Futsal fiesta in Ostrava

Wednesday, 16 February 2005

By Greg Demetriou in Ostrava

The 2005 UEFA European Futsal Championship is in full swing in snowy Ostrava and the signs are good for a thrilling end to the finals.

Élite nations

Eight of the continent's best Futsal sides gathered for the competition in the Czech city last Monday and, despite their differing fortunes, all have given a good account of themselves so far. Even the less fancied sides of Hungary and the Netherlands have impressed with their energy and enthusiasm - further evidence that the gap to the bigger nations is narrowing.

Passionate fans

Crowds at the state-of-the-art CEZ Arena have been particularly impressive, with fans turning out in large numbers despite the inclement weather. Matches involving the host nation have particularly caught the eye, with some of the cheering Czechs painting their faces or even donning wacky masks in support of their favourites.

Kike impressed

The players are enjoying themselves too, both on and off the pitch. Speaking to uefa.com, Spanish star Kike, a veteran of major European and world tournaments, said: "We are enjoying the competition and I don't think we are the only ones. We have seen some spectacular matches and some fantastic goals."

High praise

UEFA event manager Christophe Von Wattenwyl was full of praise for the fans and the efforts of local organisers to help ensure what has been a very successful opening to the tournament. Given what has been seen to date, everything is pointing to an equally impressive conclusion.

Great turnout

He said: "We were very surprised to see how big the attendance has been since the first matchday. There were more than 1,000 people for the first match at 12.30 on a Monday morning. It was a very encouraging sign and it was confirmed later on. In the end, there were more than 6,000 people and then 8,000 on the second day.

Sporting knowledge

"What was surprising was that people were staying even after the Czechs had played. For example, when Portugal played Spain - despite a disappointing defeat for their team - 4,500 people stayed behind to watch. It shows that people are interested in the sport and that it has a good basis for the future here.

'Fantastic atmosphere'

"I think this is a sporting city, and they are very sport-minded people. They had the ice hockey world championships here last year and people like to go to events and have them come to their city." He also praised the "fantastic atmosphere" at the CEZ Arena where cheerleaders, ball-jugglers and children's matches have all helped keep the fans entertained between games.