Benfica face Budapest test
Friday, 7 October 2005
by Márton Dinnyés & Paul Saffer

Hungarian champions Colorspectrum Aramis Budapest face
a baptism of fire in the UEFA Futsal Cup this week
with SL Benfica among their opponents in first
qualifying round Group 3, along with AGBU Ararat
Nicosia FC and Tal Grig Yerevan.

Troubled summer
Budapest completed the Hungarian double last season,
but go into the mini-tournament, which starts on
Sunday, after a troubled summer. Hungary goalkeeper
Zoltán Balázs, who starred at February’s UEFA European
Futsal Championship, has left the club after falling
out with the management. His international team-mates,
Zoltán Szabó and Tamás Frank, have also been
struggling with injury but should play.

‘We have problems’
Coach Ferenc Soós said: “We have problems, but the
players are taking their task very seriously. We have
trained more than we ever have done. They are
passionate and concentrate only on their preparation.”

‘Only one aim’
Ferenc Ragadics, head of the club’s Futsal department,
added: “I hope all the spectators will enjoy these
games. We have only one aim – that the qualification
issue will be decided on the last day when we play
Benfica.”

Experienced Ararat
That match closes proceedings at Ferencváros’s
handball court, for which entry is free, on Wednesday.
Before then, on Sunday, Benfica set the ball rolling
against Cypriot champions Ararat – who have played in
every previous Futsal Cup but never progressed beyond
this stage – and Budapest then play Yerevan. On
Monday, Yerevan take on Benfica and Budapest encounter
Ararat.

In form
Benfica, Futsal Cup finalists in 2003/04, are now
coached by Adil Amarante, with the man who led them to
their encounter with Boomerang Interviú FS, Alípio
Matos, having become club manager. They missed out on
Europe last term after losing the Portuguese title to
Sporting Club de Portugal, yet defeated their rivals
to reclaim the championship in 2004/05 and have won
both Premier League matches so far this season.

Yerevan scrape through
Yerevan, by contrast, are tournament debutants, having
won the preliminary round group by the skin of their
teeth – had they lost their closing game against hosts
London White Bear by more than 2-1, they would have
been out in third place.

Benfica tipped
Coach Ruben Nazaretyan told uefa.com after that tie:
“Last year our champions Politekhnik Yerevan played
Sporting and I watched the game in Portugal. But I
know nothing about Benfica, although I will try and
find out and work out how we can train to play against
them – they will be the best team.”

©uefa.com 1998-2005.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress