Futsal nations getting closer

By Greg Demetriou

The 2003 UEFA European Futsal Championship is off to a flying start in Italy and the omens are good for the latter stages of the competition's third edition.

Still open
After the first two days of group action in Caserta and Aversa near Naples, there is everything still to play for heading into Thursday's deciders. Only Ukraine have definitely reached the semi-finals on Saturday after two wins out of two, leaving three other positions up for grabs for the remaining seven contenders.

Gap closing
"Everything is still open until the last matches," UEFA Futsal Committee vice-chairman Hans Boll said. "You cannot say that there are really weak teams. There are differences in standard, but they are not so great as in the past. The nations are getting closer."

Surprise draw
This was underlined by Belgium's heroic performance in securing a 1-1 draw against defending champions Spain on Tuesday. The Spanish had only lost one match in the competition's two previous editions, and even then only on penalties in the 1999 final against Russia.

Italians on top
In Group A, Italy lead the way with six points from two matches thanks to scintillating attacking football from the likes of Vinicius Bacaro and Carlos Montovanelli. They could still, however, be overtaken by Russia in their last group match. The Czech Republic, who will hope Roman Mareš can recover from a knee injury, also have three points and take on Slovenia in their last fixture. The debutant Slovenians have made plenty of friends with their bright play and may still go through if results go their way.

Koridze brilliance
While Ukraine are already qualified as Group B winners, the team to join them is anyone's guess. Spain, with two draws, are second on two points and will probably need a win in their final group match against the team from the former Soviet state, who boast the star of the tournament so far in Serhiy Koridze. Anything less than a victory and Portugal or Belgium, on one point apiece, could still leapfrog them into the prized second place. The Portuguese have been hampered by an injury to Pedro Costa and suspensions, and know they will have to find a way past Marc Vandecaetsbeek, the in-form Belgian goalkeeper.

Profile raised
While the high quality of play has done much to raise the profile of the game, the widespread coverage and support has also give Futsal a boost. UEFA Chief Executive Gerhard Aigner was present for the opening day's games, which included a sell-out crowd in Aversa for Italy's opener against Slovenia.

Live broadcasts
"The organisation has been done well," Mr Boll said. "When you also have the matches broadcast on Eurosport and lots of spectators coming to matches it is all very good for the promotion of Futsal."

Interest expressed
The hope is that Futsal will benefit from the increased exposure, and certainly the number of European teams looking to qualify for next year's FIFA World Futsal Championship is on the up. A host of new countries have expressed an interest while the 2003/04 UEFA Futsal Cup promises to feature more club teams than in its first two years.

Intrigue in Italy
But first up is what will surely be an intriguing few days in Italy ahead of next Monday night's final. The trophy is there for the taking with anything possible after the evidence of days one and two.