2022 UEFA Futsal Euro Preview (Part 1)
The 2022 UEFA Futsal Euro tournament is a blink of an eye away. Hosts Netherlands get the opportunity to open the country’s doors to the most talented European players and managers in the world.
From 19th January to 6th February, you can expect to witness some incredible and thrilling Futsal action. You can find all the information about this tournament here at the Sports Gazette so stay tuned to the following articles.
The last UEFA Futsal Euro was in 2018, in Slovenia. No one could have predicted what our world was going to go through between then and now. The expectation was, the next European Championship would only be a short two years away and Portugal, the current holders, would have the chance to defend their title.
Fast forward to a world post Covid-19, pandemics and lockdown restrictions, we now find ourselves in 2022, four years since the last tournament. The countries participating in this edition, finally have the chance to battle it out on the European stage again.
This tournament will be the first to host 16 teams and it will set the way for tournaments to come. It will now also be played in a four-year cycle, rather than two. This has allowed a record number of teams to earn their finals tournament debuts.
More teams, more action, and more goals has led to more eye balls. Growing audiences have become more noticeable in the recent editions.
A total of more than 100,000 watched the final where Spain beat Russia in 2016, in Belgrade, Serbia. A similar figure was achieved when Portugal beat Spain in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
We have since had the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Lithuania with 7 nations representing Europe in this major tournament. Czech Republic, Kazakhstan, Lithuania (Hosts), Portugal, RFU (Russian Football Union represented by neutral athletes according to WADA and the Court of Arbitration of Sport’s decision) Serbia, Spain and world champions Portugal.
Italy, Russia and Spain are the only teams to have played in every tournament. Could either of them be the ones to snap the trophy back from the in-form Portuguese or will we have a new champion?
2018 UEFA Euro
The UEFA 2018 Euro was the 11th edition of this prestigious competition and it was hosted from 30th January to 10thFebruary 2018. It was the first time it was held in Slovenia as they beat Macedonia and Romania’s bids for the honour to host it.
All 12 teams played all of their matches in the Arena Stožice in Ljubljana. In a final without any Brazilian born players, Portugal were crowned champions for the first time beating Spain, seven-time winners. This was the last tournament that was hosted on the two-year basis, moving onto four-year basis from 2022. Ricardinho won “Best Player” and “Golden Shoe”.
A total of 48 UEFA nations entered the qualifying stage (Germany and Kosovo’s first time) and the 12 qualified teams were: Slovenia, Italy, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Portugal, Spain, Kazakhstan, Russia, France (debutants), Poland, Romania and Serbia.
Squad of the tournament
Georgi Zamtaradze (Russia, GK), Léo Higuita (Kazakhstan, GK), Douglas Junior (Kazakhstan), Ricardinho (Portugal) (Player of the Tournament), Pola (Spain), Taynan (Kazakhstan), André Coelho (Portugal), Pedro Cary (Portugal), Bruno Coelho (Portugal), Ivan Chishkala (Russia), Mladen Kocić (Serbia), Igor Osredkar (Slovenia), Miguelín (Spain) and Petro Shoturma (Ukraine).
The Hosts
The Royal Netherlands Football Associations (KNVB), are going to be hosting a major Futsal tournament for the first time since hosting the inaugural FIFA Futsal World Cup in 1989.
The four groups were drawn on the 18th of October and in standard fashion, the top two teams in each group will progress to the quarter-finals, followed by semi-finals and consequently a final and a third-place play-off contest.
Jamie Fahey is a writer for The Guardian and Author of Futsal: The Story of an Indoor Football Revolution. He has been working closely with the Dutch FA on a couple of previews and when speaking with him, he explained:
“This is a historic tournament. Although not a top tier nation in Futsal these days, the Netherlands is synonymous with all the artistic creativity, sporting excellence and street footballing culture the game is renowned for.”
“The country has a huge history in pioneering futsal since it hosted the first iteration of the Euros (a four-team tournament in 1982) and then the first ever FIFA Futsal World Cup in 1989.”
https://twitter.com/OranjeFutsal/status/1477202948488941572
When asked what he is expecting from the tournament and the current Covid restrictions, I could feel the enthusiasm and hope in his words.
“The one piece of history we don’t want to claim is being the first International Futsal tournament held without fans. This would be an incredible loss to the sporting world, denied the pleasure of elite Futsal held in a country with such passion for the game. I dearly hope the Covid restrictions are lifted.”
He also commented on what to watch out for. With the retirement of magician Ricardinho, Portugal’s search for a new icon in Zicky Té, Pany Varela, Erick, João Matos; Spain’s Catela and return of household name Sergio Lozano; Serbia’s Jovan Lazarević; Italy’s Merlim; Russia’s Robinho; Kazakhstan’s Higuita, Douglas Junior, Taynan, Birzhan Orazov and Dauren Tursagulov.
Unfortunately, on Friday the 14th January 2022, the Dutch government held a Covid-19 press conference deciding the measures regarding spectators attending live sporting events were to be extended for the foreseeable future and this decision to be revisited on Tuesday the 25th January.
This meaning the 2022 UEFA Futsal Euro group stage matches will have to be played without the presence of any spectators.
Debutants
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Finland, Georgia, Slovakia
Match Officials
Vedran Babić (Croatia), Marc Birkett (England), Viktor Bugenko (Moldova), Victor Chaix (France), Ondrej Ćerny (Czech Republic), Miguel Duarte Oliveira Castillo (Portugal), Kamil Çetin (Turkey), Eduardo José Fernando Coelho (Portugal), Alejandro Martinez Flores (Spain), Juan José Cordero Gallardo (Spain), Nikola Jelić (Croatia), Vladimir Kadykov (Russia), Borislav Kolev (Bulgaria), Gábor Kovács (Hungary), Jan Kresta (Czech Republic), Nicola Manzione (Italy), Daniel Matkovic (Swizterland), David Grøndal Nissen (Denmark), Grigori Ošomkov (Estonia), Cedric Pelissier (France), Chiara Perona (Italy), Petar Radojcic (Serbia), Stefan Vrijens (Belarus) and Admir Zahovič (Slovenia)
Host Cities/Venues
Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome
10,500 seat arena opened in 2012 and has staged indoor sports events and concerts.
Groningen, Martini Plaza
3,900 seat arena opened in 1989 and expanded in 2000. Staged indoor sports events, concerts and exhibitions and is the home of Donar basketball.
Schedule
Where to watch
UEFA broadcast partners and live streaming service will allow you to follow all the action. Broadcasters of participating countries are expected to show their own team’s matches and the final on live TV. BBC is listed as the right-holders for the UK territory but at the time of writing there is no information regarding the tournament on the BBC Red Button schedule. Highlights of all matches will be available to view as of midnight CET.
Use the links for further information on the UEFA Futsal and UEFA.tv websites.
Connor Millar, a Northern Ireland International, was part of the first ever squad that competed in the qualifying round. He currently plays his Futsal in England for Wessex Futsal Club and explained how he is looking forward to this tournament.
“I am really looking forward to the Euros 2022. It’s always great to watch the best teams compete for one of the biggest trophies in Futsal. I think it’s also fantastic that it will be shown on the BBC and just shows that the game is growing in the UK.”
To be continued…
