Courtesy: CAF On Line


Colourful opening ceremony kicks off 4th Africa Futsal Championships

22/03/2008

A colourful opening ceremony filled with rich African cultural display opened the 4th African Futsal championship on Friday at the African Union Hall in Tripoli, Libya.

The event which lasted about 120 minutes was packed with entertainment and left the about thousands of fans at the Sports Hall on their feet throughout.

Cultural groups made up of boys, girls, men and women performed several African dances with the peak of the night being the parading of the flags of the ten participating countries in addition to those of Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA).

The logo of the tournament was also unveiled as the fans waved their hands in the skies ecstatically.

Officials who graced the occasion included Mohamed Moamer Kadafi, President of Libyan Olympic Committee Board, Saidi Abdulsalam, CEO of Futsal, Ambassadors of participating countries and some FA Presidents.

The ten participating countries are Angola, Cameroon, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia and Zambia.

The March 21-30 championships will serve as the African preliminaries for the World Futsal Championship slated for Brazil in September.

The two finalists will represent Africa in Brazil.




Courtesy: CAF On Line


Futsal Libya 2008: Roundup of Day One

22/03/2008

Here is the roundup of the opening matches of the 4th Africa Futsal Championships currently ongoing in Libya.

Group One

Tunisia 0 Morocco 5
Morocco launched their campaign at the 4th Africa Futsal Championship taking place in Libya on a high note thanks to a 5-0 victory over fellows Tunisia.

Experience was the key factor that aided the tactical and technical superiority of the Moroccans over the youthful Tunisian side.

The Moroccans dominated play after finding their rhythm ten minutes into the game, crowning it off with five goals to nothing.

Hassan Rhouila, coach of the Moroccans in a post match interview attributed his side’s five-star performance to good preparations, while adding that they won’t risk chances.


Libya 4 Nigeria 0
Hosts Libya sped off their quest for the ultimate by thrashing Nigeria 4-0 in their opening match of the 4th Africa Futsal championships.

The Nigerians paid dearly for missing two close opportunities earlier in the game, before the Libyans rallied back, coupled with the home support to rake in four unanswered goals.


Group Two

Egypt 9 Zambia 0
Egypt began the title defence with a comfortable 9-0 victory over an uninspiring Zambian side. The three-time winners dominated all aspects of the game leaving the Southern Africans to chase their shadows throughout.

The Zambians had their woes deepened courtesy the short circuit passes, which rendered their attack ineffective.



South Africa 4 Angola 8
Angola dimmed the hopes of regional rivals, South Africa by handing them an 8-4 defeat in the opening Group Two match of the 4th Africa Futsal Championships.

The South Africans showed great prospects of carrying the day early in the game but indecisive shooting upfront jeopardized that dream.

The Angolans’ plan to resort to counter attacks made the difference as the raked in four more goals past their regional rivals.

The coach of the Angolan side attributed their victory to the cohesive play his team, who had been in camp for a longer period prior to the tournament.




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