The Euro Futsal Championships are going to be live on television!!!!! [smile]
For the uninitiated futsal is an indoor version of 5-a-side football and is FIFA’s only officially recognised form of indoor football, or small sided football as it is commonly referred to . Futsal is FIFA’s official 5 a side game because the Laws of and the game of Futsal rewards players for the same skills, concepts, decision making and basic knowledge of the game that is required to play FIFA’s traditional 11 a side game. . Futsal is played between two teams of five players, one of whom is the goalkeeper. In addition each team may have a number of substitutes. Unlike some other forms of indoor football, the field is defined by lines, and not nets or boards that players can use to redirect the ball. This means that there are throw-ins and corners, so passing directly to another player is very important. Futsal as it is called in many countries is played with a size 3 ball specifically for children to learn the game, or size 4 ball for adults , which is slightly heavier and smaller than the size 5 ball used in football The special, low bounce balls that are used forces a player to use their skill rather than the ball’s bounce to propel it. As a small sided game, players are constantly placed in situations where they must receive or play whilst under pressure or in confined spaces demanding quick reflexes, fast thinking, and pinpoint passing. There is no reward for errant passes because the other team gets the ball. There is no reward for errant shots because the other team gets the ball. Players with the ball must use proper technique to maintain control and must seek out other players in space, or use their skill to pass other players. Players without the ball must move to ‘real’ space and must truly support their team mates. The end-to-end, non-stop, goalmouth action has proven a hit with the fans as the number of professional leagues in the world game grows every year. Russia, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Brazil and Argentina all have professional leagues, and there are plans afoot for a national league in the U.K, as the FA are promoting futsal heavily, already having a national team and the FA Futsal Cup.
The name Futsal is derived from the Portuguese futebol de salão and the Spanish fútbol sala/de salón, which can be translated as ‘indoor football’. Although the most popular sport in Brazil is football , Futsal is by far the most widely practiced. Some professional players start out with futsal to build fundamental skills, and many Brazilian players, such as Ronaldinho, Robinho, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Juninho and many more started out playing futsal. In Brazil, the majority of children start out with Futsal rather than association football, as it is played in a smaller space. One reason for this is that many of the schools in the country do not have a field to play traditional football. There are also some notable players like Falcão, (who many consider to be the worlds best futsal player) who continue to play futsal at the club level rather than 11-a-side football. This is also the choice of many other players. Futsal fever is currently encapsulating most of the globe but it owes a great deal of its success and much of its appeal to the streets and playgrounds of South America were the game was first conceived.
The development of futsal can be traced back to 1930 in Montevideo, Uruguay, the same year the inaugural World Cup was held in the country. This early form of futbol Sala (futsal) was developed by Juan Carlos Ceriani to be played at YMCAs. Ceriani’s game was designed for five players per team, and could be played indoors or outdoors. At around the same time, a similar form of football played on basketball courts was being developed in São Paulo, Brazi. These new forms of football were quickly adopted throughout South America. The Brazilian Confederation of Sport instituted its first official rules for futebol de salão in 1958.
FIFA introduced Futsal as a new discipline in 1988 and Brazil were crowned as the first FIFA Futsal World Cup winners in January 1989. Futsal was rapidly gaining popularity in Europe and the number of Futsal-playing countries increased considerably during the 1990s.
This enthusiasm in Europe was reflected on the pitch and UEFA staged its first European Futsal tournament in Córdoba, Spain, in January 1996. It was won by the hosts in some style and, after three European teams had reached the semi-finals of the World Cup staged later that year, UEFA’s Executive Committee decided, in April 1997, to introduce a full-scale UEFA European Futsal Championship.
The UEFA European Futsal Championship was first held in Granada, Spain in 1999 with Russia running out the first winners in a dramatic final against the hosts. The match finished 3-3 before Russia prevailed in a shoot-out. Spain would make up for that disappointment by winning the Championship in 2001 in Moscow, defeating hosts Russia in the last four before seeing off Ukraine in the final.Ukraine were back in the final in 2003, but again they lost, this time to hosts Italy. Spain, FIFA Futsal World Cup winners in 2004, reclaimed the European crown in 2005 in a 2-1 win as old rivals Russia were defeated in the final.
The 2007 finals will be played in Portugal from 16 to 25 November. The main match venue will be the new €15m Pavilhão Multiusos de Gondomar, with a capacity of 3,800, plus two restaurants and several hospitality areas. The second match hall will be the Municipal Hall of Santo Tirso, which will stage two group games and act as a training centre.
Portugal was chosen to host the event on the basis of the popularity and strong tradition of futsal in the country as well as the Portuguese Football Federation’s experience in staging UEFA events. Portugal staged the first UEFA Futsal Cup for clubs in 2002, when the final stage was played as an eight-team tournament in Lisbon. Portugal’s national team is a regular finalist at the UEFA European Championship and the FIFA Futsal World Cup.
News Content:
Fri 16/11 18:00 British Eurosport
Czech Republic v Romania
Fri 16/11 20:00 British Eurosport
Portugal v Italy
Sat 17/11 14:00 British Eurosport
Spain v Ukraine
Sat 17/11 16:00
Serbia v Russia
Sun 18/11 15:30 British Eurosport
Italy v Romania
Sun 18/11 17:30 British Eurosport
Portugal v Czech Republic
Mon 19/11 18:00 British Eurosport
Russia v Ukraine
Mon 19/11 20:00 British Eurosport
Spain v Serbia
Wed 21/11 16:00 British Eurosport 2
Russia v Spain
Wed 21/11 18:00 British Eurosport 2 Romania v Portugal
Fri 23/11 18:00 British Eurosport
Semi-final EEFA Futsal Championship
Fri 23/11 20:00 British Eurosport
Semi-final UEFA Futsal Championship
Sun 25/11 15:00 British Eurosport
3rd Place Play-off UEFA Futsal Championship
Sun 25/11 17:00 British Eurosport
FINAL UEFA Futsal Championship
Delponte futsal balls will be offered to competition winners, watch this space.
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