Courtesy: UEFA.com


Barça catch futsal fever

Monday, 7 August 2006

by Lucy Turner

from Barcelona

While Spain's futsal clubs are even more dominant in European competition than their football counterparts, the names of leading sides like Boomerang Interviú and El Pozo Murcia are not recognisable to those not so familiar with the small-sided game. But that is about to change.

Barcelona arrive
New to the División de Honor, the continent's strongest domestic futsal competition, is FC Barcelona. The Catalan giants formed their futsal section in 1986, and have gradually risen over the years and joined the second-level División de Plata in 2003. Each season they came close to promotion and in May finally achieved that goal with a play-off victory against Colegios Arenas Galdar.

Carmona plan
The basis for that success came a year ago when futsal technical director Marc Carmona took over as team coach. Having spent nine years playing, as long again coaching in the lower divisions and been Catalan national manager for more than a decade, Carmona proved the ideal man for the job. He has a clear idea of what is needed now: "In our first year we have to adapt and grow stronger so as to look down on the relegation zone with reasonable comfort and although our objective is to stay in the División de Honor, we won't give up on anything."

Top signings
That has meant investment in the team, with Brazilian Pedrinho signed from Barcel Euro Puebla. "I'm excited by Marc Carmona's project, that's what attracted me to sign for the club," Pedrinho said. "Barcelona want to do great things in futsal in the next few years and it's an honour for me to have joined." Marcelinho, who has left PSG Móstoles, has been in Spain for three years already but said: "It's like my first season in the Spanish division and I'm here to make Barcelona a great team in the futsal world."

Rodríguez arrives
But those names were dwarfed by the arrival of a Spanish legend. Javi Rodríguez, since joining Playas de Castellón in 1997, has twice won the UEFA Futsal Cup and the División de Honor, plus two FIFA Futsal World Cups and UEFA European Futsal Championships with Spain. Now having scored 95 goals in his last 97 matches, the 32-year-old is back in his native Catalonia, and said: "To have Barcelona play in the División de Honor is very good for the league competition. I'm very happy because I've accomplished one of my personal objectives, which was to play for this club. We need the crowd to be patient because it's not easy to be in the top division and it's going to be tough. So I ask the fans for the same effort the club made to sign me and I made to come here and always stand by our side."



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