Report by Capital Futsal


NZ National Futsal Team To Take-on Australia In Friendly

The NZ National Futsal team, the Futsallwhites, take-on their Tasman rivals, the Futsalroos on Saturday 3rd May at the Dural Leisure Centre, NSW, Australia.

It will be the first time the two sides have met since the Oceania qualifiers in Canberra
2004 with Australia winning 4-0. The weekends clash sees only two players survive that encounter with many of the NZ squad making their international debuts including Assyrian-born Wellingtonian, Victor Zaia. 28 year old Zaia is a member of NZ National Futsal Champions, Capital Futsal and is looking forward to the challenge ahead. It will also be the first game in charge for Australian coach, Broderick Crighton. Crighton will select from the twelve travelling players with some unavailable due to injury and work commitments.

The following day the Futsallwhites play Sydney Magic and the trip includes games against four club sides from Wollongong. It will be a tough schedule but one which shall prove to be invaluable for Crighton in finalising and naming his squad for the upcoming OFC Qualifiers.

The Qualifiers are to be held in June (8 - 14) at the Vodafone Arena, Suva, Fiji. Along with their Fijian hosts , the Futsallwhites will face New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. The tournament will be a round-robin based on a league format.
With Australia now in the Asian Confederation, the winner earns the right to go directly to represent Oceania at the FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil later in the year.







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