Swiss all set for debut

The inaugural UEFA European Under-21 Futsal Tournament will also mark Switzerland's debut on the international stage in the small-sided game and they are looking forward to the challenge.

'Great honour'
Luca Balduzzi, head of grassroots football at the Swiss Football Association, saw his nation drawn with reigning champions Spain, Slovakia and Greece for April's qualifiers, and believes that those fixtures will provide a huge opportunity to develop. Balduzzi said: "For us, it is a great honour to be drawn in the same group as the current futsal world champions. We will try to learn as much as we can from this experience, and we will try to give them as much of a game as we can."

Step by step
He added that they had made a deliberate decision, like fellow debutants the Republic of Ireland, to enter an U21 team before taking part in a senior event. "For our association, it was important to start at youth level and build up a generation of futsal players rather than put together a senior team with some old players who would not guarantee us sufficient continuity," Balduzzi said. "We see futsal as an ideal way to cover the winter period when outdoor football rests, and it helps to develop technique and tactics, which can pay off also for outdoor football. In addition, futsal is also attractive for schools and we will try co-operate with them."