Courtesy: UEFA.com

Hopeful futsal dozen aim high

Thursday, 18 January 2007

by Paul Saffer

from London

The biggest UEFA European Futsal Championship yet gets under way today when the preliminary round begins with mini-tournaments in Finland, Romania and Malta.

Record entry
A record 36 teams have entered the competition, with Portugal spared qualification as they host the finals in Porto from 16-25 November. The 12 lowest-ranked nations start this week, with the three group winners and two best runners-up to progress to next month's main qualifying round along with the likes of holders Spain.

Finland challenge
Group A in Vantaa matches the Finnish hosts with Armenia on the first day while debutants Turkey, who boast former football international Ümit Davala in their lineup, will have the honour of playing in the first of the 76 matches in the competition, culminating in the final in 311 days' time. Finland have the most experience, having entered every competition since the first full-scale championship in 1999, although they have two wins and nine defeats to their name. Armenia performaned well in 2005 qualifying, drawing with Kazakhstan and Romania and defeating Bulgaria, though it was not enough to go through, and Albania - making their debut - also went out unbeaten in that competition, their 8-6 win against England outdone by Cyprus, with who they then drew 1-1.

Promising Romania
In Deva, Romania will hope to continue their recent promising form in club and national-team futsal and are up against England, Latvia and Bulgaria in Group B. England and Bulgaria made their bows in 2005, but lost all their games and neither have yet won a futsal international. Latvia, with a longer pedigree in the sport, have triumphed in eleven matches in this competition. However, the success of CIP Deva in the UEFA Futsal Cup this season has confirmed Romania as a team to watch and they have long been improving, making a superb tournament debut in January 2004 with a 12-0 defeat of Bulgaria and moving through to the main qualifying stage.

Striz leads Malta
Malta is the venue for Group C, with the home team playing for the first time at this level against Cyprus, Kazakhstan and Georgia. Michal Striz, who coached the Czech Republic on home territory in the finals two years ago and to third place in the edition before, is in charge of the Maltese side. He has particular incentive to do well as the group winners will go on to face his own home nation.

Experience
Cyprus, the other island nation, ended a long wait for a point in this competition with their success against England and Albania in the 2005 edition, though Andorra, Portugal and Moldova then proved too strong, and last year they beat France, Belgium and Finland in friendlies. Kazakhstan gained a win against Bulgaria last time around, and futsal has gained in popularity in that nation thanks to Kairat Almaty's run to the European semi-finals last year with a Brazilian-infused selection. Georgia are the one team in the preliminary round who were involved in the inaugural UEFA tournament of 1995, and their 10-7 win against Ukraine remains probably their best result. A win and draw against France last year proved they too are a useful outfit.



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