FUTSAL WORLD

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Serbia vs Kazakhstan: UEFA Futsal EURO LIVE! at12:30 ET

Serbia vs Kazakhstan: UEFA Futsal EURO LIVE!

200,792200K

1 watching now

Rating is available when the video has been rented.

This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Scheduled for 13 Feb 2016

LIVE coverage of Serbia vs. Kazakhstan in the UEFA Futsal EURO 2016. This third place match kicks off at 18:30CET 13/02/2016.
----
http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c...
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uefacom
Twitter: https://twitter.com/UEFAcom
G+: https://plus.google.com/+UEFAcom
http://uefa.com

Show main events only

An error has occurred and your message has not been sent. Please try again.

Live updates will appear here.

04:58 Higuita (Kazakhstan) misses the target.

04:50 Pršić (Serbia) is penalised for a foul on Douglas Jr. (Kazakhstan).

03:35 Rajčević (Serbia) has a shot blocked.

03:26 Rajčević (Serbia) has a shot blocked.

03:25 Dovgan (Kazakhstan) commits a foul.

03:16 Higuita (Kazakhstan) makes a save.

03:15 Kocić (Serbia) has an effort on goal.

03:12 Rajčević (Serbia) takes the corner.

03:11 Higuita (Kazakhstan) makes a save.

03:10 Rajčević (Serbia) has an effort on goal.

02:11 Kocić (Serbia) is penalised for a foul on Zhamankulov (Kazakhstan).

01:39 Douglas Jr. (Kazakhstan) misses the target.

01:01 Leo (Kazakhstan) delivers the corner.

00:52 Douglas Jr. (Kazakhstan) misses the target.

00:49 Zhamankulov (Kazakhstan) takes the corner.

00:47 Zhamankulov (Kazakhstan) hits the woodwork. A very early chance for Kazakhstan.

The match is under way.

Category
- Sports
Licence
- Standard YouTube Licence

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016: Spanish Coach Francisco Araujo: Time for Lebanon to get lucky

Lebanon Futsal team pose for a group photo

Third time lucky, or so they say. Spanish futsal coach Francisco Araujo is hoping the old saying comes true when he takes his Lebanon side to Uzbekistan later this month for their third AFC Futsal Championship in a row and their tenth in all. The competition has not proved to be a happy one for the Lebanese, who have never advanced beyond the quarter-finals, having gone out at that stage on the last two occasions, at UAE 2012 and then Vietnam 2014.
A former futsal player with Barcelona, Araujo took on the Lebanon job in 2011, and though the last four of the continental finals remains an elusive goal for the Spaniard, he has nevertheless overseen a growth in the popularity of the sport in the Middle Eastern country, as he told FIFA.com: “The national team has been completely transformed, both in terms of the players, the average age and the mindset you need for futsal. We’ve now got a group of players who are devoted to the game and are completely au fait with its tactics. That’s helped the team progress and become one of the best sides on the continent.”
Though interest in the sport has increased in Lebanon since the creation of the men’s and women’s football championships, the national team has yet to make its FIFA Futsal World Cup debut.
Casting his mind back to the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship, where his side were knocked out in the last eight by Thailand, Araujo said: “It was tough to take, not just because we lost but also because of what happened in the match between Kuwait and Australia. We had a lot of problems in a short period of time. We taught the players the tactical basics and they took it all on board but we still missed out on qualification for the World Cup on goal difference, by a single goal.”
Lebanon fell at the same hurdle two years later in Vietnam, when they went down to Uzbekistan, an elimination that Araujo has no complaints about: “You have to remember that modern futsal is pretty new to Lebanon. There weren’t any foreign players or coaches before, and developing the players here has taken time.”
He added: “We had a few injuries to deal with at the last competition. We lost our first-choice goalkeeper Hussein Hamdani and our captain Qassem Qussan and we had to call on a bunch of new players who weren’t familiar with our tactical set-up. Despite it all, we put in a good performance and we only lost because of a few individual errors.”
Hope for the futureThe Lebanese will come up against Uzbekistan once again when the 2016 AFC Futsal Championship gets under way in a few days’ time, with his side meeting the competition hosts in Group A. Araujo will be hoping Lebanon can top the section, earn a more favourable draw for the quarter-finals and clinch a place in the last four, the reward for which will be a maiden FIFA Futsal World Cup appearance at Colombia 2016.
The Spaniard sees the group match with Uzbekistan as being every bit as important as their opener against Kyrgyzstan and their third outing, against Saudi Arabia, a side the Lebanese beat 5-2 in the qualifiers.
“All our matches in Group A are as vital as each other,” he remarked. “You have to remember that Kyrgyzstan are a good side and that they often make the quarter-finals. We need to beat them if we’re to have any hope of taking top spot, which is really important if we want to avoid Iran, who are a bogey team for us.”
While 11-a-side Lebanese football has made great strides in the last few years, with the Cedars having reached the final round of the Asian qualifying competition for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, the country’s fans are urging the futsal side to make history by securing what would be the nation’s first appearance in a FIFA competition. As far as the 42-year-old coach is concerned, that objective is entirely possible.
“We honestly don’t have much luck, on or off the pitch,” he explained. “Our best players get injured on the day before big games, and fortune seems to desert us when it comes to tournament draws. I hope things turn out differently for us this time and that we can make our dream a reality.
“Since coming in at the end of 2011, I’ve put together a young team that’s picked up experience at a continental level. We can definitely reach our objective and change the image of Lebanese futsal forever.”
Could it be that Araujo and Lebanon’s luck is about to change? All will be revealed in the coming days.

FIFA Futsal World Cup: Road to Colombia 2016 mapped out

A general view of play during the FIFA Futsal World Cup

2016

Between 10 September and 1 October this year, Colombia is set to host the eighth edition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup, where a total of 24 national teams will be competing for the title currently held by Brazil – who at Thailand 2012 claimed the crown for the fifth time.
And though the road towards the next Futsal World Cup has already begun in some confederations, the final phases of all the regional qualifying competitions will take place this year. FIFA.com brings you the info on how, where and when it will be decided which 23 nations will be joining World Cup hosts Colombia.
A breathless February
The high-octane action will get underway in the Paraguayan capital Asuncion where, between 5 and 13 February, the ten CONMEBOL nations – including world champs Brazil – will go toe-to-toe for the three berths available via South American qualifying. Initially divided into two groups of five, the top two from each section will progress to the semi-finals. The two finalists and the winner of the match for third place will take the World Cup berths, unless Colombia finish on the podium, in which case the team finishing fourth makes the cut.
Taking place almost simultaneously will be the OFC Futsal Championship, which runs from 8 to 13 February in Suva, Fiji. Topping the bill are the Solomon Islands, Oceania’s representatives at the past two Futsal World Cups, who will be favourites to take the only available qualifying berth. The format is simple: the six participating teams will all play each other in a round-robin competition, with the table toppers crowned regional champions and earning the ticket to Colombia 2016.
The AFC Futsal Championship, for its part, will be held between 10 and 21 February in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The preliminary zonal rounds took place from September to November 2015, thus completing the list of 16 teams still in the hunt for five places at the Colombian showpiece. Thailand, hosts of the last World Cup, successfully made it to the final qualifying competition, where the 16 teams will be divided into four groups of four – from which the top two in each section will reach the quarter-finals. The four winners will make it into the semi-finals and with it qualify for Colombia 2016, while the four losing quarter-finalists will battle it out for the fifth and final berth.
And that’s not all...
The 22nd of March will be an important date in the race to be the seven European representatives at the next Futsal World Cup. On the back of October 2015’s Preliminary Round and December 2015’s Main Round, that is the day on which the first legs of the Play-off round, the third and last phase of UEFA qualifying – with the second legs on 12 April - will takeplace. Among those involved will be two-time world champions Spain, traditional heavyweights Italy, Portugal and Russia, and up-and-coming nations Kazakhstan, Slovenia and Poland.
Coming up between 15 and 24 April is the Africa Futsal Cup of Nations, in Johannesburg, South Africa, featuring eight national sides – among them the host nation and also Egypt, Africa’s best-performing team at Thailand 2012 – which will compete for three available qualifying berths. Just as in the South American qualifying event, the participants will be divided into two groups, with the top-two teams in each section going into the semi-finals. The two finalists and the winner of the third-place match will travel to Colombia 2016.
The final four spots at the Futsal World Cup will be decided at the CONCACAF Futsal Championship, taking place in San Jose, Costa Rica, between 8 and 15 May. To date, only holders Mexico and hosts Costa Rica have their involvement confirmed, with the other six competing nations to emerge from the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) qualifying championship (22-26 January, Cuba, 2.5 places available); the North American Football Union play-off (United States and Canada will play off over 5 and 6 May); and the Central American Football Union (UNCAF) qualifying championship (27-31 January in Guatemala; 2.5 places). The play-off tie between the third-placed finishers in the CFU and UNCAF championships will be held over 5 and 6 May.

FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016: Falcon: The time is now for Venezuelan futsal

Jose Falcon (L) of Venezuela and Richard Gutierrez (R) of Colombia fight for the ball during the match between Colombia and Venezuela as part of the XVII Bolivarian Games Trujillo 2013

02 Feb 2016

Even though he has turned 35 and has a 15-year professional career behind him, Venezuela captain Jose Falcon admits he has nerves ahead of the upcoming South American qualifying competition for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016.
“I suppose it’s only natural, even when you are experienced,” Falcon told FIFA.com. “Venezuela will always have the opportunity to play in their first World Cup, but this is the very last chance for me. If I can help make it happen this year and in Colombia, which is a special place, then it would make me very happy.”
What is it that makes Colombia so special for the experienced veteran? “I spent two seasons with Real Bucaramanga, one of the cities that’s hosting the event,” said Cheo, a common nickname in Venezuela for anyone called Jose. “They really love their futsal there and in Medellin, and I know they can’t wait for the tournament to come around. The atmosphere is going to be fantastic.”
A powerful presence on the court and adept at using his body to shield the ball, Falcon, now with Guerreros de Lago, is fondly remembered in Bucaramanga, where he won two championships and was the league’s top scorer in 2015, a season in which the club was coached by his compatriot and current Venezuela boss Eudo Villalobos.
“We chat with El Profe now and again and it would be really nice to go back there as part of the World Cup. The friends we have there say they’d make us feel right at home, but I’m not so sure,” he joked, alluding to the sporting rivalry between the two neighbouring countries.
“More than anything else though, it would be really great for Venezuelan futsal,” continued the softly spoken Falcon. “The sport has grown a tremendous amount in the last few years with the professional league and with support coming from different areas. Reaching the World Cup now, when it’s right next door, would take the sport forward on every level. It should serve as a motivation for us too.”
Opportunity knocksA two-time Copa Merconorte winner and a three-time Copa Libertadores finalist with three different teams, Falcon is aware of the scale of the challenge Venezuela face when the qualifying competition gets under way in Paraguay on 5 February.
His side’s first task is to earn a semi-final place by finishing in the top two in Group A. Should they make the last four, one of South America’s three World Cup slots will be theirs if they can win their semi, unless hosts Colombia also advance from the group phase, in which case all four semi-finalists will progress to the world finals.
A Deportivo Tachira fan who never aspired to play 11-a-side football, Falcon sized up Venezuela’s first-round opponents: “We start off against five-time world champions Brazil, who are the red-hot favourites despite the fact they’ll be without Falcao.” Trying to look on the bright side, he added: “The good thing is they’ll be a yardstick for us and will show us where we stand. It’s also better to be facing them first than when qualification is at stake.
“Then come Paraguay, who are the home team, with everything that involves,” he added. “We think they’re the team we need to beat, but we’ve learned our lesson from the last qualifying competition, when we identified Colombia as our direct opponents. We beat them but went and lost to Uruguay and Paraguay and missed out on a place in the semis. That’s why we’ll be taking our last two games against Peru and Ecuador just as seriously.”
Falcon is anxious to avoid the experience he went through four years ago, when he looked on with regret as the closing stages of the 2012 world finals unfolded in Thailand: “I couldn’t help thinking that we could have been there because we’d beaten Colombia in the qualifiers. They ended up finishing fourth, and I found it hard to take.”
The difference this time is that Venezuela have a little more experience under their belts: “Venezuelan players have now contested five professional league championships in the country. The squad contains people who’ve played abroad and a few of the boys have also had success at youth level. I think we’re mature enough now and we have the mindset we need. The time is right for us.”

FIFA Futsal World Cup : Three venues for Colombia 2016

Making a four-day visit to Colombia this week, FIFA representatives have engaged in discussions with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) on preparations for the upcoming FIFA Futsal World Cup, to be held in the country between 10 September and 1 October.
The inspection visit began on Tuesday in Ibague, where FIFA Event Manager Jaime Yarza, LOC Chairman and Colombian Football Association (FCF) General Manager Rodrigo Cobo, and Perla Alvarez of the Colombian Administrative Department of Sport (Coldeportes) met with the local authorities to check on the progress of construction work at the city’s new mini stadium.
Following the inspection it was decided that the city should be removed from the list of venues, which leaves Bucaramanga, Medellin and Cali as the tournament’s three host cities. The decision was announced at the press conference that concluded the inspection visit at the FCF’s headquarters in Bogota on Friday.
“In sharing the views of the Colombian FA, the mayor and Coldeportes, we felt it was impossible for Ibague to continue as a host city of the World Cup,” Yarza told the assembled media. “The previous administration failed to act on the promises it made and we have decided not to take any risks. We regret this course of action but it was the most prudent decision.”
Green light for other venues
The visit continued on Tuesday with a stopover in Bucaramanga, which, like the other two venues, will now host two groups.
“The authorities have made a positive commitment,” said FIFA Head of Futsal and Beach Soccer Kasra Haghighi. “Mayor Rodolfo Hernandez has every confidence that they can deliver a venue offering the perfect conditions for hosting the event. The next few months are crucial in terms of adapting the arena in a number of areas. There is still a lot that remains to be done and we are working with the LOC to ensure that everything is completed on time and in the correct manner.”
The following day the delegation moved on to Medellin, which will host one of the semi-finals. Giving a presentation at the city’s Atanasio Girardot Sports Complex, the local authorities presented a schedule for refurbishment and construction work at the Coliseo Ivan de Bedout. The delegation also had the opportunity to check the progress being made in other areas, and made note of the need for mandatory further work in the training fields, an issue common to all venues.
“Medellin has shown progress” said Yarza. “We are working with the city, the FCF and Coldeportes in fine-tuning but there are several details and modifications that need to be made to ensure that the tournament is a success. We are now awaiting completion, in February, of legal procedures relating to the tender process so that we can purchase materials and begin construction and refurbishment work.”
On Thursday the delegation travelled to Cali, the venue for the other semi-final and the final day of the competition, where it was welcomed by Mayor Maurice Armitage and a city hall working group responsible for issues relating to the organisation of the tournament. Giving his opinion on the visit to the city, Cobo said: “We leave Cali satisfied with the progress made with construction work in the last few months and with the firm commitment the local authorities have made in taking on the major challenge of staging the FIFA Futsal World Cup.”
The visit concluded on Friday with the aforementioned press conference.