UEFA.com
Sept 10 2005
London ready for Futsal first
by Greg Demetriou from London
The UEFA Futsal Cup is back with a four-team mini-tournament getting
the 2005/06 competition under way in London over the weekend.
European debutants
English entrants London White Bear FC are the hosts for the
round-robin event, which will feature three other European debutants:
Tal Grig Yerevan from Armenia, Dinamo Tirana from Albania and Roubaix
Futsal from France. The top two teams after the three days of action
on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday will progress to the first qualifying
round.
‘Winning mentality’
London coach Oleksandr Saliy is confident his side can put on a good
show in front of their supporters at the Crystal Palace national
sports centre in south London. The Ukrainian has a cosmopolitan squad
comprising players from nine countries and believes his charges have
the “winning mentality”.
Unknown quantity
However, the 36-year-old concedes he does not know too much about
their rivals, particularly the French and Albanian champions. “I
think we have a chance,” he said. “But we don’t know the level of our
opponents. We will see what happens and I am sure my players will do
their best.”
English boost
Saliy added he expected the Armenian team to pose the biggest threat,
especially as they boast several experienced internationals. “They
will be strong and they are the favourites,” said Saliy. Yet,
regardless of his side’s display, the mini-tournament will do much to
raise the sport’s profile in England.
Prolific players
Yerevan enjoyed a tremendous 2004/05 season, not dropping a single
point. They also have two top-class performers in Armen Gyulambaryan
and Armen Danielyan. The 30-year-old Gyulambaryan scored 127 goals
last term, making him Europe’s leading marksman, while the
25-year-old Danielyan was voted Player of the Year by the Football
Federation of Armenia.
Coach excited
Coach Ruben Nazaretyan, who turned 29 on Monday, is excited about
seeing his men in continental competition. “We have never played in
such a tournament before,” he said. “We are sure there are no weak
teams, but the only thing that could hamper us is our lack of
experience at such a level. We will give it our best shot.”
Mullaj involved
Albanian Futsal is also at a fledgling stage. Dinamo were beaten
finalists in the first two domestic championships but were able to
represent their country after 2004/05 champions KS Erzeni were
stripped of their title over ineligible players. Dinamo have several
internationals, not least Ani Mullaj, with the 22-year-old scoring
eight goals in last season’s UEFA Futsal Cup for SK Tirana.
Tirana example
The club are coached by 46-year-old Albert Celmeta, of whom good
things are expected. He has every confidence his team can hold their
own and reach the next stage, as Tirana did in last year’s
preliminary round thanks to a 6-4 victory against another English
side, Sheffield Hallam FC.
Fighting spirit
Roubaix are perhaps the biggest unknown quantity of those on view.
They were formed in 2004, although a team previously existed under
the name Roubaix Trois Ponts. The club won the French Futsal Cup in
March by recovering a 3-1 deficit to draw level before beating
Issy-les-Moulineaux Futsal 3-1 on spot-kicks.
‘Nothing is impossible’
Coach Malik Laouar, himself just 28, has put faith in young players.
Given the unexpected nature of their domestic triumph against a side
containing several French internationals, Laouar said of Roubaix’s
European chances: “For us, nothing is impossible.” They have a number
of players tipped for the big time, not least 22-year-old goalkeeper
Djamel Haroun and 25-year-old defender Mounir Khrouf.