UEFA is keeping up with the impressive work done in order to present the great final between Charleroi Action 21 and Dinamo Moscow.

Below you can read a presentation of both team, as well as more articles published in the last days.


- Have a look at the official programme of the finals: click here!


Charleroi Action 21

Courtesy UEFA.com

Coach Profile

Charleroi coach - Sergio Benatti

Sergio Benatti is no stranger to Futsal success having been part of the Brazil side that won the first FIFA Futsal World Championship in 1989. Indeed, it was Benatti who put the Brazilians on their way to a 2-1 victory against host nation the Netherlands in the final, and although he was highly regarded for his goalscoring ability he was also an excellent defender and had great awareness of the game.

Benatti has put these skills into good practice since becoming a coach in his homeland in 2001. Now 39, he added to his successes when he arrived at the all-conquering Belgian side Action 21 Charleroi in February 2004, immediately winning a league and cup double. This season has been no different with Charleroi going into the final leading their domestic championship once again. Benatti was voted the world's third best club coach in the recent Futsal Planet awards.


Key Player

One to watch - Robinho

Robinho, or Edelson Robson dos Santos, has been a revelation since arriving at Action 21 Charleroi at the turn of the year. The No16 left ECB Sao Bernardo in his homeland last December to try his luck on the European stage and made an instant impact in Belgium, so much so that he is already regarded as one of the finest players to pull on the famous all-red strip. Robinho is one of the new breed of Futsal stars, with fantastic speed and great technical skill.

The 22-year-old scored on his UEFA Futsal Cup debut for Charleroi on 14 March, as his side began their second qualifying round campaign with a 7-4 victory against Sporting Clube de Portugal. A winner wherever he has played, the diminutive but skilful Robinho looks set to be making European headlines for years to come.



Dinamo Moscow

Coach Profile

Dinamo coach - Yuri Rudnev

Yuri Rudnev, 50, has a background in the eleven-a-side game and first came to Futsal in 1993 at Galaks St.Petersburg. He went on to coach FC Zenit St. Petersburg (1995-99), Norilsky Nikel (1999-00) and Finpromko-Alfa (2001). He then became assistant at FC Spartak Moskva in 2000/01 and helped them to their only title.

He then coached VIZ-Sinara to the Russian Cup in 2002. He took over at MFK Dinamo Moskva in June 2003, helping them to win the Russian Cup. He repeated that feat in 2004 when he also won his first league title with Dinamo – and they look set to become the top team again in the current domestic campaign. Working in tandem with Alexander Shibaev, he is a disciplined coach who always puts the team above the individual and Rudnev claims his teams have "never been accused of boring Futsal".


Key Player

One to watch - Sergei Ivanov

Russian superstar Sergei Ivanov is only now approaching the prime of his Futsal career despite being at the top for several years already. The 26-year-old began his career in 1998 with FC Zenit St. Petersburg, before spending four seasons for Norilsky Nikel, where he won the Russian title in 2002. He scored 57 goals in the 2002/03 season, earning him the player of the year award.

He moved to Dinamo in summer 2003 and has helped them to dominate Russian Futsal ever since, and he has been an influential figure in their run to this year's UEFA Futsal Cup final, scoring 12 goals in qualifying. Ivanov was a non-playing member of Russia's 1999 UEFA European Futsal Championship-winning squad, but has since helped them finish third in 2001 before more than playing his part as a member of the national team that went one better and reached the recent 2005 final.



Courtesy: UEFA.com

The boys from Brazil

Thursday, 21 April 2005

By Paul Saffer

Although the UEFA Futsal Cup final is a duel between the champions of Belgium and Russia, another nation has more than a little interest in the goings on in Charleroi this Saturday and Moscow a week later.

Spiritual home
Brazil has long been acknowledged as the spiritual home of Futsal, and although Spain have deposed them as world champions, the South American nation continues to produce as steady a stream of talent as they have in the eleven-a-side game. Pelé, Zico, Sócrates and Ronaldo were all Futsal players in their youth and unsurprisingly Brazilians have made an impact in all four editions of the UEFA Futsal Cup.

Immediate impact
The increased professionalism of European Futsal in the late 1990s inevitably saw clubs turn to Brazil to import talent. And the influx made an impact only minutes after the launch of the UEFA Futsal Cup in 2001 when an Action 21 Charleroi team packed with Brazilians including Lúcio Rosa defeated Czech champions Pramen Havlickuv Brod 7-3 in the opening match.

Paulinho double
Charleroi continued on their winning way to the final tournament, where in the group stage they faced Playas de Castellón FS. And the Spanish champions overcame Charleroi 3-1 thanks to two second-half goals from Brazilian Paulinho.

Alemao's delight
That rivalry - getting across some players' national ties - did not take long to be renewed as both teams won their semi-finals, Lúcio Rosa striking a hat-trick for Charleroi. In the decider in Lisbon, again Brazilians came to the fore - Lúcio Rosa cancelling out an early Castellón goal but Alemão getting among the scorers as the Spanish team won 5-1.

Vander victorious
It was much the same story the next season. Yet again Charleroi and Castellón reached the final, now played over two legs. The game in Belgium was drawn, but Castellón won 6-4 on home soil - and again Brazilians had an influence; Lúcio Rosa and Andre both struck for the visitors but Vander Carioca's 28th-minute strike proved decisive, putting the home team 5-2 up and ultimately out of reach as Charleroi stayed put at four goals.

Lukaian undoes Charleroi
There may have been two new finalists last year, but the influence from Brazil remained strong. Charleroi did show a first-round flourish, crushing Albanian hopefuls by a competition record 44-3, Andre striking ten times. But their campaign was ended by SL Benfica, Lukaian undoing their Belgian rivals and fellow Brazilians with two goals in a 5-4 victory.

Schumacher's grand prix
But Benfica were pipped in the final by Boomerang Interviú FS of Spain. Having already ousted Castellón, Boomerang eventually prevailed 7-5 overall, their victory inspired by the man at the heart of the Brazilian national team, Schumacher.

Influence strong
A year on, and again neither of the previous season's finalists returned this time around - and again Brazilian players had the decisive say in that matter. Charleroi welcomed Boomerang in the second qualifying round, and inevitably the two met in the group decider. Charleroi's team had a stronger Brazilian influence than ever before, and needing a draw in the final game, having just gone 2-1 down, who should pop up but the always-reliable Lúcio Rosa.

Success continues
Meanwhile, Spain's other representatives, El Pozo Murcia FS, were trying to keep up their nation's tournament monopoly, but their group hosts, MFC Dinamo Moskva, were keen to stop them. And indeed it was the Russian team that prevailed in the eventual group showdown, their 5-4 win aided hugely by goals from Cirilo and Joan - both from a well-known nation not far from Uruguay.



Courtesy: UEFA.com

Charleroi aim to capture crown

Friday, 22 April 2005

By Paul Saffer

Action 21 Charleroi are aiming to make it third time lucky in the UEFA Futsal Cup final, as they prepare to welcome MFK Dinamo Moskva for Saturday's first leg.

Record crowd
Around 6,500 supporters - a record crowd for a UEFA Futsal Cup final - are expected to cram into Charleroi's Spiroudôme as for the first time in the tournament's four-year history, no Spanish side will contest the trophy, leaving the Belgian and Russian champions bidding to succeed former winners Playas de Castellón FS and Boomerang Interviú FS. Charleroi reached the first two finals, but lost both to Castellón, including in the two-legged 2002/03 edition (drawing 1-1 here before losing 5-3 in Spain).

Full strength
Last year Boomerang prevailed against the team that had eliminated Charleroi, SL Benfica, but the holders fell to the Brazilian-influenced Belgians in the second qualifying round this year on goal difference, following Lúcio Rosa's last-gasp equaliser in a decisive 2-2 draw - the player's seventh goal of the competition. Charleroi, unbeaten at the summit of the Belgian First Division, are at full strength for the Dinamo encounter and coach Sergio Benatti admits his side have to hit the ground running in the home leg.

'Quality players'
"I know that this first match will be very important," the former Brazil defender said. "But even if we win, it will be necessary to negotiate the return in Moscow with the certainty that Dinamo will do everything possible to turn the tie. Dinamo are a very strong unit with quality players and solid in all areas of the game."

Season's highlight
Benatti added: "The team which proves the stronger tactically and physically will win. We dream of winning the UEFA Futsal Cup but we know that the Russians have the same objective. These are the biggest matches of the season and we would like to win the title for our owners and our fans, to thank them for their support."

Prolific Ivanov
Dinamo also overcame Spanish opposition to reach this stage, ending El Pozo Murcia FS's first European campaign with a 5-4 victory in the decisive group game. No side from Moscow has ever won a UEFA club trophy, but with the tournament's top scorer, 12-goal Sergei Ivanov, supported by prolific Brazilians Joan, Cirilo and the evocatively-named Pelé, they have every chance of putting that right.

Runaway leaders
Russian international goalkeeper Pavel Stepanov recently committed his future to the team, signing a three-year deal. Dinamo, like their hosts, have a full squad available, despite previous injury worries surrounding Ivanov and Pelé. They hold a huge Russian Super League lead, with their title celebrations only temporarily put on ice last Friday when they were held 5-5 by FC Norilski Nikel. Coach Yuri Rudnev is, unsurprisingly, optimistic.

Morale high
"We managed to show our spirit in that match as we came from 5-3 down to save the game," Rudnev said. "That is why I am satisfied with the morale of our team before these decisive European games. We are well aware of the Futsal the Belgian side play, but we will still look closely at their tactics. We are facing a disciplined, well-organised team, so the final will be tough."

'Slight advantage'
He went on: "Both sides have similar qualities - good tactical training, discipline and high individual skill. So I think it will be the team with the strongest character that wins. I believe, just like in football, we have a slight advantage because we are playing the first leg away from home."



Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com