Passion for futsal drives Biro Jade

Azerbaijan defender Biro Jade turned 36 on Monday. His week could end with his nation winning a first UEFA final tournament.

Memorable week
Biro Jade has been at the centre of Azerbaijan's sudden emergence in the UEFA European Futsal Championship, scoring twice to earn their first qualification and three more goals in their two group-stage wins. He also registered in the 3-3 quarter-final draw with Ukraine, then converted in the 4-2 shoot-out success. This evening they meet Portugal in Debrecen for a place in the final; it has been a memorable week for the tireless Araz Naxçivan player.

'Special present'
"The fact we reached the semi-finals was a very special present to me," Biro Jade told uefa.com. "We are all very happy and this achievement will allow Azerbaijani futsal to take a huge step forward. I am very happy to be given the chance to participate in such an occasion. Before we came to Hungary we were well aware of just how strong we were and I have no problem saying that our main goal was to reach the semi-finals. Maybe our results have been a surprise for some, but not for us."

Passion
Having also helped perennial Azerbaijani champions Araz into April's UEFA Futsal Cup finals, it has been a busy season for Biro Jade, who has possibly spent more time on the pitch than any other outfield player in Hungary. "I don't have huge secrets about the fact I am one of the most used players in the team at the age of 36," he said. "I really like to train but above all I love futsal. I'm still not thinking about ending my career. As long I have the strength and my colleagues think I can be of use I will carry on."

Portugal challenge
He and his team-mates are more than familiar with Portugal having drawn 3-3 with the 2007 semi-finalists in their opening qualifier, Biro Jade among the scorers. "Portugal have a great team and they usually do well at European Championships," he said. "They have a team that always delivers when they really need to win."

Araz spine
But Azerbaijan have been doing that in the last 12 months, as have Araz – who supply ten of the 12-strong squad in Hungary, not to mention coach Alesio. "We only have two players from another club and that accelerates the cohesion process," Biro Jade said. "One and a half years ago nobody knew Azerbaijan played futsal and now they know. The hardest thing is not reaching this level but staying there once you do."