Courtesy: UEFA.com


UEFA Futsal EURO 2014: Belgium

Antwerp will stage UEFA Futsal EURO 2014, with the provisional dates being from 28 January to 8 February.

Saturday 1 September 2012

The Belgian city of Antwerp will stage UEFA Futsal EURO 2014, with the provisional dates being from 28 January to 8 February.

The decision was made at the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Venice in December 2011, as the Royal Belgian Football Association (URBSFA-KBVB) beat off competition from the Football Association of Slovenia (NZS) and the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF). It will be the first futsal final tournament to take place in Belgium.

By being based in the 2013 European Capital of Sport, Antwerp, the tournament will continue Belgium's proud tradition of holding major continental events, not least their joint hosting of UEFA EURO 2000 and more recently the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. Belgium also competed in the European national team futsal showpieces of 1996, 2003 and 2010, while Action 21 Charleroi played in three of the first four UEFA Futsal Cup finals – becoming the first non-Spanish winners in 2005.

Antwerp mayor Patrick Janssens said: "Futsal really is alive in Antwerp. Antwerp is ready to organise the EURO. We have all the necessary facilities. A sport like futsal is attractive to all sections of the population and in Antwerp it acts as an important instrument for social cohesion."

URBSFA-KBVB president François De Keersmaecker added: "For Belgium and our FA it is a real honour to organise a EURO tournament again. I think Antwerp is ready to organise it."

Belgium will be following in the footsteps of previous Futsal EURO hosts Croatia (2012), Hungary (2010), Portugal (2007), Czech Republic (2005), Italy (2003), Russia (2001) and Spain (the first UEFA European Futsal Championship of 1999 and also the 1996 UEFA European tournament). Serbia stages the 2016 finals.




Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com