Courtesy: UEFA.com

Charleroi dare to dream

Friday, 26 January 2007

by Berend Scholten

from Diest

Action 21 Charleroi have their first Belgian league fixture of 2007 tonight, but cannot help but have half an eye on the UEFA Futsal Cup final four event from 26-28 April, with coach Christian Vavadio saying that just by getting that far "we already have won".

Reprieve
Struggling JB Frameries welcome third-placed Charleroi this evening, with the visitors hoping for a win that would take them to within eight points of leaders Forcom Antwerpen 2000. Of course, that is still some distance from Charleroi claiming an eighth straight league title, but considering the club were actually wound up this summer, and even when reprieved were forced to play on with a much-weakened squad, their domestic form has been admirable and their European achievement impressive. A dramatic 3-3 draw with UEFA Futsal Cup Elite round hosts Clearex Chorzów in Poland last month sent 2005 European champions Charleroi into the last four on goal difference, reviving hopes of a fourth final appearance in the six-year history of the competition.

Impressive achievement
Although cash-strapped Charleroi are outsiders compared to MFK Dinamo Moskva and Spanish duo Boomerang Interviú and El Pozo Murcia FS, Vavadio is just delighted to be competing. "We are a young team with players who have never played in Europe," he told uefa.com. "Our goal this year is to learn, but we will play at 200 per cent! Boomerang, Murcia, and Moskva have budgets we dare not dream about! We aren't going to the final four to win, but in one match, anything is possible, even though I do not think we have the squad today to compete against such teams. I think maybe Murcia are the favourites, even though Boomerang are a famous team, with experience. For us, it's a great pleasure to be involved. It's a bit like we've already won!"

Free-scoring form
Vavadio's team have built on their European success since the mini-tournament in Poland. On 16 December they won 10-1 at GDL Châtelet in the league, and on 5 January opened 2007 with a 14-1 victory against Squadra Herseaux to reach the Belgian Cup's last 16, André Vanderlei scoring four goals in both games. But Vavadio is already counting the days until the continental finals. "I'm very happy for the players, especially for the young ones," he said. "It was their first UEFA Futsal Cup. I'm thinking about Valentin Dujacquier, Saad Salhi and Aiyoub Anik who are not 18 and who were still playing with our youth team last year, and also Filippo Larocca who was injured last year. They can play in the finals now, and the teams they will play against are the stars of futsal. I think we played the most positive futsal in our mini-tournament. The three other teams played defensively."

Outsiders
The semi-final draw will be in March, with the venue for the event to be announced shortly. Jesús Candelas, coach of holders Boomerang, said last month that Charleroi would be the easiest opponents, but Vavadio is quick to remind the Spanish chief that his side upset the Madrid outfit in 2005 and went on to lift the trophy. "He is right on paper, yes," Vavadio said. "But I hope he will not forget that we were also the weakest team on paper two years ago and we did qualify - and won! We know we are the weakest. We do not have their budget. But they still have to prove they are the best on the floor. It's football, not statistics!"



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