Courtesy: UEFA


Happy times for Hungarian Futsal

Wednesday, 1 March 2006

by Márton Dinnyés

from Budapest

Little more than a year ago, Hungarian Futsal had its finest hour at the UEFA European Futsal Championship finals in Ostrava after a tremendous team display stole some of the limelight from the more illustrious nations.

Significant progress
Although Hungary failed to pick up a point from their three group games in the Czech Republic, the very fact they had qualified for the eight-team event and then held their own proved the significant progress in the country. A perfect illustration was the opening game against eventual winners Spain when, inspired by the heroics of goalkeeper Zoltán Balázs, Hungary took a 2-1 lead early in the second half before finally succumbing 4-2.

Emerging nation
Since then, Hungary coach Mihály Kozma has tried to build on the good impression made, with the intention to get to a point where Hungary are regular qualfiers for the major European and world events. Media interest in Budapest and beyond has picked up with many of the top-flight games televised. Hungary are still an emerging nation, but time is on their side.

Youthful focus
"This period is for the preparation," Kozma told mlsz.hu. "We kept the key players from the European Championship and now we are trying to include as many young players in the squad as it is possible. I want to keep on improving and for this you always have to keep the future in mind when think of the present."

Friendly plans
Kozma added that he hoped to get his side playing against quality opposition, so that he can assess his players in top-level action before the next qualifying phases come around, especially with the 2008 FIFA Futsal World Cup, to be played in Brazil, the home of Futsal, also looming on the horizon. Hungary have two games against Greece this week, and will play Latvia twice in early April.

Gödöllõi rise
Things are looking up in the domestic scene too. After last year's success of Colorspectrum Aramis Budapest, the 2004/05 champions who just missed out on the second qualifying round of this season's UEFA Futsal Cup after a defeat by SL Benfica, other sides are staking their claim. Chief among them are last season’s second division champions Gödölloi FK, who sit proudly in pole position of the top flight.

Gyurcsányi arrival
Gödöllõi made a number of new signings before the 2005/06 campaign, not least in acquiring last year’s player of the year Zsolt Gyurcsányi from Rubeola FC Csömör. Having great players is not enough for greatness though and the club, from the town of Godollo near Budapest, has also benefited from rising fan interest in János Kis’s side, with healthy crowds turning out in support.

Cup celebration
A clear indicator of the shift in power came in the Hungarian Cup final last week in Szentes. Gödöllõi found themselves up against Colorspectrum Aramis, the reigning double winners, and were soon behind when Hungarian international Tamás Frank broke the deadlock for the club from Budapest. However, Gödölloi bounced back and raced into a 5-1 lead at the interval and, despite a late fightback, eventually won 7-5.

Thinking big
With such competition at domestic level, the Hungarian national team can only stand to benefit. Europe's élite will have already taken notice of last year’s efforts in the Czech Republic and few would want to be drawn with them in qualifying early next year for the 2007 EURO in Portugal. The country is certainly thinking big, and plans for a summer friendly against Brazil shows just how Hungary are hungry for more.



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