Courtesy: UEFA.com

Skill at will, futsal's influence

Friday, 3 November 2006

by Matthew Spiro

from Paris

More teams than ever are competing in the UEFA Futsal Cup this season as the sport's profile continues to rise in Europe. From an initial 40 clubs, 16 now await their fate at Friday's draw in Nyon, each with high hopes of reaching the inaugural final four tournament in April. The new dramatic, US-style climax befits a sport that is fast grabbing attention across the continent. But while its popularity has grown steadily over the past decade, futsal has been influencing European football, albeit indirectly, for a far greater period.

Brazilian influence
South American players, and in particular Brazilians, have featured heavily in Europe's top leagues for some time and often stand out for their superior technique and vision. Many of them developed their skills playing the small-sided brother of the eleven-a-side game. Pelé, Zico, Sócrates and Ronaldo all grew up playing futsal in the sport's cradle, Brazil, where children are encouraged to practise the scaled-down discipline before switching, if they wish, to football.

Ricardo example
Former Brazil captain Ricardo Gomes, now coach of Ligue 1 side FC Girondins de Bordeaux, is another example. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Ricardo played futsal as a boy before signing for one of the country's top football clubs. "I was very passionate about futsal and I loved playing it with my friends," he told uefa.com. "When I was 12, a scout from Fluminense [FC] spotted me and tried to convince me to play for them. I resisted for about four or five months because I was good at futsal and didn't want to stop. But Fluminense insisted and in the end I agreed to join them."

'Futsal helped me'
Fluminense will feel it was worth the effort. Ricardo enjoyed six seasons in the heart of their defence before playing for SL Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain FC and representing the Seleção on 45 occasions. But he has no doubt that those early years spent on the court aided his development. "Football is a different sport entirely and when I made the switch it was like starting again from zero," he said. "But with hindsight I can see that certain aspects of futsal helped me as a footballer."

'Every centimetre counts'
The 41-year-old, whose Bordeaux side qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1999/2000 this season, continued: "In futsal technique is the most important thing. Every centimetre counts and when you make a pass or set off on a run the timing and execution have to be spot on or it won't work. In football there is a greater margin for error. Also in football the physical side of the game becomes more important."

'Encourages versatility'
Ricardo, like many of Brazil's top defenders, combined physical power with good ball-playing skills, a quality he feels stems from playing futsal. "I wasn't a defender when I played futsal," he explained. "Futsal forces everyone to play everywhere so I had spells in attack, on the left wing, on the right wing, or at the back. It encourages versatility and helps you to become an all-round player. If you only play football from a young age, you might be bracketed as a defender and never learn how to pass the ball well or score a goal."

'Fond memories'
While Ricardo the player benefited from futsal, he insists his coaching methods have remained conventional. "When I started coaching I'd already spent more than half of my professional life in Europe so I was familiar with the European methods," he explained. "There's a lot of strategy in futsal but you can't really compare it with football. I still have fond memories of playing futsal but I couldn't say that I incorporate futsal into my methods at Bordeaux."

Robinho and Diego
It may be that small-sided strategy does not cross over completely for football coaching, but players at the highest level are still getting as much out of their futsal upbringing as Ricardo did a generation ago. Just this week, Real Madrid CF forward Robinho was bamboozling the FC Steaua Bucuresti defence with his famous pedalada - where he circles the ball with his feet while moving forward - while Werder Bremen playmaker Diego showed speed of thought and skill at will against PFC Levski Sofia.

'Agility and ability'
"[Futsal] has helped me a lot," Diego told uefa.com, with absolutely no doubt about its role in making him the footballer he is today. "Futsal is very good for agility and ability with the ball. It makes you think quicker." With Europe's top 16 clubs and some of the world's leading players all eyeing European glory in the Elite round of the UEFA Futsal Cup, the time is right for all fans of the beautiful game to find out what the fuss is about.



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