INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS
COACHING
LEAGUES&CUPS
AWARDS
NEWS
RANKING
NEWS
Tweet
International Competitions - May 02, 2019 11:00
UEFA Futsal Champions League review
A new dawn for futsal
Courtesy:
UEFA.com
Photo:
Sportsfile/UEFA
The first ever UEFA Futsal Champions League finals came to a conclusion in Almaty, but will leave a lasting impression on hosts Kairat as well as the fans and players from Barça, Inter FS and Sporting CP.
Club futsal has undergone a revolution in Europe. From the start of this season, UEFA changed the name of its flagship club tournament from the UEFA Futsal Cup to the UEFA Futsal Champions League, which is now accompanied by a new trophy and competition branding. The move is aimed at giving European club futsal the opportunity to gain greater exposure and develop an even higher profile.
“European futsal can envisage a bright future as UEFA’s new strategy for the sport starts to have a significant impact,” said UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin. “Important decisions taken by UEFA for the club and national-team games are enhancing futsal’s status and strengthening its appeal – and the signs are particularly promising for the club game on this continent.”
The decision to change the competition’s name and its branding assets after 17 seasons was put forward by the UEFA Futsal and Beach Soccer Committee following a thorough analysis which involved numerous stakeholders, including clubs, players, coaches, journalists and fans. This was then validated by the UEFA Executive Committee in April 2017 in Helsinki.
This year’s final tournament was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan and came to its conclusion at the weekend. The supporters were passionate and knowledgeable, with local team Kairat having become a European futsal powerhouse over the past decade.
Fans flocked to the Almaty Arena to watch the action unfold and in the process managed to create an atmosphere worthy of the occasion; the semi-final crowd of 12,090 for Kairat against Barça was a competition record.
“I am used to hearing this kind of atmosphere in football, but over the last few years I have begun to notice a big difference,” said the president of Sporting CP, Frederico Varandas. “This year it has been at a different level since the introduction of the UEFA Futsal Champions League. The brand is different and is a good way to help futsal to continue to develop.”
For Kairat head coach Kakà, the decision to rename the tournament is an important one, because the new name in his opinion gives the competition greater prestige.
“Fans coming to watch the matches are not coming to watch the UEFA Futsal Cup, instead they are attending the UEFA Futsal Champions League,” he said.
“This is completely different. You feel like you are at a UEFA Champions League match, which is especially important for those supporters who do not have the opportunity to attend a football game in this competition.”
The majority of supporters attending the final left the arena deflated after Sporting CP claimed their maiden competition victory, having been runners-up on three occasions. However, for the side from the Portuguese capital, there was jubilation.
“I come from a country where futsal is the second sport and has a lot of popularity and strength. People love futsal,” said Varandas.
“This final four tournament should be seen by all the football associations. For instance in Portugal, when Sporting CP play against Benfica [in futsal] the atmosphere is incredible and if the arena seated 20,000 people then it would be completely sold out. I think it is time for the big clubs in Europe to look towards futsal.”
Keyword
Search in Title and Description
Search
Clear
Pages :
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
International Competitions
AFC Futsal Asian Cup - Thailand 2024
April 15, 2024 09:00
International Competitions
CONCACAF Futsal Championships 2024
April 11, 2024 09:00
International Competitions
CAF TotalEnergies Futsal Africa Cup of Nations 2024
April 07, 2024 18:02
International Competitions
Futsal Week U19 Summer Cup - Porec 2024
April 10, 2024 10:42
International Competitions
Global Futsal Cup 2024
March 23, 2024 09:00
International Competitions
UMAG Under 19 Futsal Nations Cup 2024
April 02, 2024 11:22
International Competitions
Vietnam 2024 International futsal tournament
March 23, 2024 08:00
International Competitions
NSDF Futsal Championship 2024
March 22, 2024 19:00
Bulgaria
A milestone in Bulgaria
March 22, 2024 09:00
Norway
The first ever time for Norwegian girls
March 17, 2024 09:00
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia & Herzegovina: new head coach appointed
March 16, 2024 13:00
International Competitions
Futsal Love Serbia - Women's Winter Cup 2024
March 13, 2024 17:10
Pages :
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
FOLLOW US
Facebook
FutsalPlanet © 2018
info@futsalplanet.com