Courtesy: UEFA.com

Contenders aim to join Elite

Friday, 6 October 2006

The new-look UEFA Futsal Cup continues on Monday with the start of the freshly introduced Main round.

Semi-finalists start
In last month's preliminary round, FC Adana Yerevan of Armenia, Moldova's Toligma Chisinau, Skövde AIK - Sweden's first-ever representatives - and Lithuanian champions FK Nafta Mazeikiai won through, and joined 20 clubs starting their campaign at this stage. Among them are the two teams beaten in last season's semi-finals, Kairat Almaty and FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

Kairat return
Kairat gave Kazakhstan a glimpse of glory as they made the last four in 2005/06 before losing to MFK Dinamo Moskva. Now they have a Tuesday kick-off in Group 1 against Slov-Matic Fofo Bratislava, before fixtures against Italy's Arzignano Grifo C/5 and hosts KMF Partizan Sarajevo. That is the second group to start; on Monday, Poland's Clearex Chorzów begin Group 3 on home territory against KMF Alfa Parf Skopje while later that evening Sporting Clube de Portugal, who reached the semi-finals in the inaugural competition in 2001/02 as hosts, face Adana. Shakhtar, like Kairat, get under way on Tuesday in Group 5. Toligma are Shakhtar's first opponents in Hungary and home side Futsal Club Gödöllö then meet FC Raba of Riga.

Ostrava memories
A day later the remaining three sections commence. In Romania, Group 6 home team CIP DEVA play Dutch outfit FC Marlène Kras Ster and KMF Marbo Beograd, who attracted big crowds when hosting a mini-tournament last term, tackle Slovenia's KMN GIB Beton MTO Zagorje. Meanwhile, Group 4 returns to the host city of the 2005 UEFA European Futsal Championship, Ostrava, and pits together hosts CC LKW Jistebnik, Iberia 2003 Tbilisi, FC Dorozhnik Minsk and Nafta. The other preliminary round survivors, Skövde, are in Group 2 with Athina '90 Athens, Azerbaijan's Araz Naxçivan and hosts MNK Split, who made the last four in 2001/02 but missed the competition for the first time last season.

Seeds await Elite round
Unlike the preliminary round, two teams will emerge from each group. These 12 sides will join the top four seeds - holders Boomerang Interviú and the 2005 and 2006 runners-up MFK Dinamo Moskva, former winners Action 21 Charleroi and Spanish champions El Pozo Murcia FS - in the Elite round draw on 31 October. The winners of the four groups in that round in December will progress to the new Final Four event from 26-28 April 2007.



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