Futsal/Indoor Soccer World News - August 7, 2002


Futsal/Indoor Soccer World News
August 7, 2002

News and information on Futsal/Indoor Soccer from around the world

ASIA

INDONESIA TO STAGE 2002 ASIAN FUTSAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Fifteen countries have been divided into three groups
of five for the 2002 Asian Futsal Championship that
will be held in Istora Senayan, Indonesia from October
22-30. Group A is composed of the Korea Republic, Iraq,
Tajikistan, Thailand and Vietnam, while Group B has
Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and
the three-time defending champions Iran. China, Japan,
Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan and the host Indonesia round out the
first round stage as they will compete in Group C. The
top two teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals,
along with the two best third-place finishers on Oct.
28. The quarterfinal victors will meet in the semifinals
set for Oct. 29. The semifinal winners will battle for
the 2002 Asian Title on Oct. 30, while semifinal losers
will face each other in the third-place consolation game
earlier in the day. For more information on the 2002
Asian Futsal Championship, check www.asian-football.com.

2002 Asian Futsal Championship - October 22-30
Istora Senayan, Indonesia

Group A
Korea Republic
Iraq
Tajikistan
Thailand
Vietnam

Group B
Iran
Chinese Taipei
Malaysia
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan

Group C
Indonesia
China
Japan
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan

EUROPE

HUNGARY TO HOST EIGHTH WORLD UNIVERSITY FUTSAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Eighth World University Futsal Championships will
take place in Nyíregyháza, Hungary from August 25-31.
Eleven nations will join the host Hungary in the bi-annual
competition that will feature four groups of three teams
in the first round from Aug. 25-27. Top two teams from
each group will advance to the quarterfinals set for Aug.
29. The semifinals will be held on Aug. 30, while the
finals slated for the next day (Aug. 31). The First World
University Futsal Championship was held in Sao Paolo,
Brazil and won by the host in 1984. After a six-year
hiatus, the second tournament was held in Parma, Italy
and also won by the host nation in 1990 and since then
the competition has been held every two years.

Eighth World University Futsal Championship
August 25-31, 2002, Nyíregyháza, Hungary

Group A
Hungary
Turkey
Ukraine

Group B
Italy
Poland
Yugoslavia

Group C
Spain
Cyprus
Russia

Group D
Portugal
Israel
Kazakhstan

World University Futsal Championship History
Year Site Champion
1984 Sao Paolo, Brazil Brazil
1990 Parma, Italy Italy
1992 Malaga, Spain Spain
1994 Nicosia, Cyprus Russia
1996 Jyvaskyla, Finland Brazil
1998 Braga, Portugal Ukraine
2000 João Pessoa, Brazil Brazil

SPARTAK CAPTURES 2002 TBILISI INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Futsal Club Spartak of Moscow, Russia captured the 2002
Tbilisi International Tournament held in Georgia from
July 26-28. The Russian club finished ahead of three
Futsal National Teams (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Georgia)
with a 3-0 overall ledger, while outscoring their
opponents 22:4. Spartak opened tournament play on
July 26, with a 5:3 victory over Azerbaijan, while
Georgia crushed Kazakhstan 6:1. The following day
(July 27) Spartak trounced Kazakhstan 13:1, in the
meantime Georgia posted a 5:1 win over Azerbaijan.
Spartak closed out the competition on July 28, with a
3:2 win over Georgia, while Azerbaijan finished third
with a convincing 14:2 victory over Kazakhstan.

2002 Tbilisi International Tournament - July 26-28
Tbilisi, Georgia
Final Results, Standings
Teams (GP, W-L-T, GF:GA, PTS)
Spartak - RUS (3, 3-0-0, 22:4, 9)
Georgia (3, 2-1-0, 13:5, 6)
Azerbaijan (3, 1-2-0, 18:12, 3)
Kazakhstan (3, 0-3-0, 4:33, 0)

July 26
Spartak-RUS - Azerbaijan, 5:3
Georgia - Kazakhstan, 6:1

July 27
Spartak-RUS - Kazakhstan, 13:1
Georgia - Azerbaijan, 5:1

July 28
Azerbaijan - Kazakhstan, 14:2
Spartak-RUS - Georgia, 3:2

DRAW HELD FOR 2ND UEFA FUTSAL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFYING
The draw for the second UEFA Futsal Cup was held on
July 15, at the UEFA's Headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
A total of 30 futsal club were divided into eight
qualifying groups for the 2002-03 European competition.
The fixtures for each of the eight qualifying mini-tournaments
will be determined at a later date. Each mini-tournament
group winner will advance to a final round where the
eight qualified teams will be placed in two groups of
four in 2003. The winner of each final round group
will face each other in a two-game home-and-home series
to crown the 2002-03 UEFA Futsal Cup Champion. The first
leg will be played between Apr. 14-20, 2003, while the
second will be held from Apr. 28 - May 4.

2002-03 UEFA Futsal Cup Qualifying Groups (Venue)
Group 1 (Dubnica, Slovakia)
Action 21 Charleroi - BEL
FK Inkaras - LTU
SK Program Dubnica - SVK
KS Flamurtari - ALB

Group 2 (Kemi, Finland)
FC Shakhtar Donetsk - UKR
FT Kemi Tornio - FIN
AGBU Ararat - CYP
Zarea Beltsy - MDA

Group 3 (Samtredia, Georgia)
AR Freixieiro - POR
Norilski Nickel - RUS
FC Iberia 2000 - GEO
PFK Olimp - LVA

Group 4 (Prato, Italy)
Prato C/5 - ITA
Svea Lesna Litija - SVN
MFC Hayk Yerevan - ARM
KMF Skopje - MKD

Group 5 (Mostar, Bosnia)
Antena 3 Boomerang - ESP
Clearex Chorzov - POL
Zrinjski Karaka - BIH
Alibi Almaty - KAZ

Group 6 (Castellón, Spain)
Playas de Castellón - ESP
CSO Montage Budapest - HUN
Donozhnik Minsk - BLR
FC Santa Coloma - AND

Group 7 (Jistebnik, Czech Rep.)
MNK Split - CRO
FCK De Hommel - NED
CC Jistebnik - CZE

Group 8 (Nis, Yugoslavia)
MFC Turan Air - AZE
KMF Nis - YUG
Athina '90 - GRE

NORTH AMERICA

HARRIBURG HEAT NAMES ERICH GEYER NEW HEAD COACH
The Harrisburg Heat of the Major Indoor Soccer League
(MISL) announced on Aug. 6, that Erich Geyer has signed
a two-year deal as he takes over at helm after the club
decided not to renew the contract of former skipper
Richard Chinapoo for the 2002-03 campaign. The 51-year-old
native of Adelsdorf, Germany played 113 indoor games in
a career that featured stops with the Hartford Hellions,
Chicago Sting, and San Diego Sockers of the original
MISL, scoring 25 goals as a defender. Geyer won four
indoor championships as a player (two in the NASL and
two in the MISL, all with the Sockers) before ending
his playing career in 1985. Geyer snagged his first
head coaching job in 1986 with the MISL's Chicago Sting
until 1988. He returned to the bench as Assistant Coach
for the Sockers and won three MISL Championships from
1990-92 before being named the first (and only) head
coach in the history of the Monterrey La Raza of the
Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL). Under Geyer,
La Raza won two CISL titles from 1995-96 and one World
Indoor Soccer League Championship in 2000. In 1993,
Geyer also served as the Head Coach of the Mexican
Indoor National Team, as the squad notched International
Tournament titles in 1993 and 1994.

ST. LOUIS STEAMERS TO SIT OUT 2002-03 MISL CAMPAIGN
The St. Louis Steamers and the MISL announced on July
16, that the squad will sit out the upcoming 2002-03
campaign, but will remain a member of the League with
an option to return in 2003-04. The Steamers will
spend the 2002-03 season focusing on business and
operational issues in an effort to meet the minimum
MISL standards necessary to participate in active play.
The club will take part in MISL Meetings and will be
represented on the Management Committee. The MISL
will hold a dispersal draft in the near future to
allocate St. Louis players for the 2002-03 season.
The Steamers will be permitted to designate four
players from the club's current roster who will return
to the squad following the 2002-03 season if the team
participates in the 2003-04 campaign. If St. Louis
fails to meet MISL standards in time for the 2003-04
season, the rights of the four designated players
selected in the dispersal draft will remain with the
selecting club.

MISL UNVEILS CONFERENCE ALIGNMENT, PLAYOFF STRUCTURE
FOR 2002-03 SEASON
The MISL unveiled on July 16, that the 2002-03 season
will feature eight teams divided into two four-team
conferences. The MISL's Eastern Conference will consist
of the Baltimore Blast, Cleveland Crunch, Harrisburg
Heat and the defending MISL Champion Philadelphia Kixx.
The Western Conference will include the Dallas Sidekicks,
Kansas City Comets, Milwaukee Wave and San Diego Sockers.
The eight-team MISL will begin play on Sept. 28, with
each team playing a 36-game schedule. Teams will face
same-conference clubs more often than clubs from the
opposite conference. The 2002-03 regular season will
conclude on Mar. 23, with the post-season beginning
the week of Mar. 24. The MISL Playoffs will consist
of six teams with the top three clubs from each conference
advancing to the three-round post-season. In the
quarterfinal round, the second-place club from each
conference will host the third-place club from the
same conference in a one-game playoff. Each regular
season conference champion will earn a bye to the
semifinal round and will host the winner of the
quarterfinal contest. The two winners of the one-game
semifinal round will then advance to the 2002-03 MISL
Championship Series, where the team with the higher
regular season winning percentage will host Game One
and Game Three (if necessary).

2002-03 MISL Conference Alignment
Western Conference
Dallas Sidekicks
Kansas City Comets
Milwaukee Wave
San Diego Sockers

Eastern Conference
Baltimore Blast
Cleveland Crunch
Harrisburg Heat
Philadelphia Kixx

SOUTH AMERICA

VILLA MODELO CROWNED ARGENTINA'S TORNEO APERTURA DE
FUTSAL 2002 CHAMPIONS
Villa Modelo was crowned the Argentina's Torneo Apertura
de Futsal 2002 Champions on July 28, after finishing first
in the 18-team final standings with 41 points and an
overall record of 13-2-2. River Plate finished second
with 39 points (12-2-3), while the club Pinocho took the
third spot with 32 points (10-5-2).

ULBRA PORTO ALEGRE WINS SECOND STRAIGHT BRAZILIAN LIGA
DE FUTSAL TITLE
Ulbra Porto Alegre won their second straight (third
overall) Brazilian Liga de Futsal Title by defeating
W@y Tv Minas in the two-game final on aggregate 11:6.
After posting a 7:4 victory in the first match on July 22,
Ulbra completed the two-game sweep with a 4:2 win over
W@y Tv Minas at the Ginásio Juscelino Kubitschek in Belo
Horizonte on July 27. Forward Lenísio led the offense
on July 27, notching a hat-trick (three goals), while
midfielder Fabiano closed out the scoring adding a tally
for Ulbra in the victory.

VENEZUELA'S PUMAS DEL ÁVILA CAPTURES CONMEBOL'S "NORTHERN
ZONE" CLUB CROWN
Pumas del Ávila of Venezuela captured the 2002 CONMEBOL
Futsal Club Championship for the "Northern Zone" held at
Gimnasio Mauricio Jhonson in Maracay, Venezuela from
July 9-13. Pumas del Ávila won the title by finishing
first in the five-team round-robin tournament with 10
points and an overall ledger of 3-0-1. Forward John
Pinilla of Polikenney (Colombia) was the tournament's
top scorer with 11 tallies, while defender Maurico Arnez
of Univalle (Bolivia) was second on the list with nine
goals. Midfielder Jose Leonardo Peña of Pumas del Ávila
finished third in the tournament's scoring list with
eight tallies, while teammate Asdrubal Colmenares took
the fourth spot with seven goals. Pumas del Ávila will
host the "Southern Zone" Winner Carlos Barbosa of Brazil,
in a best-of-three series, in Caracas, Venezuela, to
crown the overall 2002 CONMEBOL Futsal Club Champion.
The first game will take place on Aug. 8, with the
second match to be held 16 days later (Aug. 24). If
necessary, the third and deciding game is set for Aug. 25.

2002 CONMEBOL "Northern Zone" Title - July 9-13
Maracay, Venezuela
Final Results, Standings
Teams GP, W-L-T, GF:GA PTS
Pumas del Ávila - VEN (4, 3-0-1, 31:14, 10)
Polikennedy - COL (4, 3-1-0, 20-14, 9)
Univalle - BOL (4, 2-1-1, 24-20, 7)
Deporcentro Casuarinas - PER (4, 1-3-0, 18-18, 3)
Impaca - ECU (4, 0-4-0, 11-38, 0)

July 9
Univalle - Deporcentro Casuarinas, 8:6
Pumas Ávila - Impaca, 16:3

July 10
Polikennedy - Impaca, 9:3
Pumas Ávila - Deporcentro Casuarinas, 5:4

July 11
Univalle - Impaca, 5:2
Pumas Ávila - Polikennedy, 5:2

July 12
Deporcentro Casuarinas - Impaca, 8:3
Polikennedy - Univalle, 7:6

July 13
Polikennedy - Deporcentro Casuarinas, 2:0
Pumas Ávila - Univalle, 5:5

2002 CONMEBOL Futsal Club Championship - August 8-25
Caracas, Venezuela
Best-of-Three Series
Game #1 on Aug. 8
Pumas del Ávila - VEN vs. Carlos Barbosa - BRA
Game #2 on Aug. 24
Carlos Barbosa - BRA vs. Pumas del Ávila - VEN
Game #3 (If necessary) on Aug. 25
Pumas del Ávila - VEN vs. Carlos Barbosa - BRA

ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, PARAGUAY OPEN FUTSAL EVENT AT 2002
JUEGOS ODESUR WITH VICTORIES
Argentina, Paraguay and the host Brazil opened the futsal
event of the 2002 Juegos ODESUR (South American Olympic
Games) with convincing victories at the Miécimo da Silva
Sports Gymnasium, in Campo Grande, Rio de Janeiro on
Aug. 6. Organized by the ODESUR (Organización Deportiva
Sudamericana), the six-team futsal competition kicked off
on Aug. 6, as two tallies by midfielder Fernando Wilhem
led Argentina to a 6:1 win over Ecuador. In the second
encounter Paraguay stunned Uruguay 5:1, while midfielder
Manoel Tobias and defender Euler each scored twice to
pace Brazil to a comfortable 6:1 victory over Bolivia.
The competition continues from Aug. 7-10 with the top
two teams from group play to meet in the gold medal game
set for Aug. 11, while in an earlier match the third and
fourth place finishers from group play will battle for the
bronze medal. Since 1978, the Juegos ODESUR have been
held every four years and is opened to the following
members of the Caribbean, Central and South America:
Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia,
Ecuador, Guyana, Netherlands Antilles, Panama, Paraguay,
Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. For more information
on the 2002 Juegos ODESUR in Brazil check www.brasil2002.org.br.

2002 Juegos ODESUR, Futsal Competition - August 6-11
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Standings, Schedule - Kickoff Local Time
Teams (GP, W-L-T, GF:GA, PTS)
Brazil (1, 1-0-0, 6:1, 3)
Argentina (1, 1-0-0, 6:1, 3)
Paraguay (1, 1-0-0, 5:1, 3)
Uruguay (1, 0-1-0, 1:5, 0)
Bolivia (1, 0-1-0, 1:6, 0)
Ecuador (1, 0-1-0, 1:6, 0)

Aug. 6
Argentina - Ecuador, 6:1
Paraguay - Uruguay, 5:1
Brazil - Bolivia, 6:1

Aug. 7
Ecuador vs. Bolivia 6 p.m.
Argentina vs. Uruguay 7:30 p.m.
Brazil vs. Paraguay 9 p.m.

Aug. 8
Ecuador vs. Uruguay 6 p.m.
Paraguay vs. Bolivia 7:30 p.m.
Brazil vs. Argentina 9 p.m.

Aug. 9
Uruguay vs. Bolivia 6 p.m.
Argentina vs. Paraguay 7:30 p.m.
Brazil vs. Ecuador 9 p.m.

Aug. 10
Argentina vs. Bolivia 3 p.m.
Brazil vs. Uruguay 4:30 p.m.
Ecuador vs. Paraguay 6 p.m.

Aug. 11
Third place - 3:30 p.m.
Final - 5 p.m.



Information was researched and compiled by Steven Torres,
who is currently the P.R. Coordinator/Futsal Press Officer
at the United States Soccer Federation.

Next issue will be sent on September 4, 2002