Courtesy: FIFA.com


Vietnam taking the rough with the smooth

17 Sep 2016

A surprise victory in their opening match, and a heavy defeat in their second: that is Vietnam’s record so far at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016, the country’s debut appearance at a FIFA competition.

As you might expect for a squad stepping on to the big stage for the very first time, especially one that also happens to be among the youngest in the tournament, the Vietnamese are experiencing highs and lows in Colombia. In spite of the novelty of the occasion, however, their chances of advancing to the last 16 of the competition remain intact.

The task awaiting the Asian side in their final game against title contenders Italy is clear enough, with a win or a draw sufficient to take them through to the knockout phase. Yet as their Spanish coach Bruno Garcia acknowledged, facing the Italians is a daunting prospect. Discussing the match and the impact of his side’s Colombia 2016 campaign in an interview with FIFA.com, he said: “No matter what happens, I know that Vietnamese futsal will come out of this tournament much, much stronger.”


Old heads, young shoulders
Judging by the players he has at his disposal, Garcia’s observation is well founded. Take pivot Minh Tri Nguyen, for example. Four years ago, at the tender age of 16, he decided he wanted to be a part of the Futsal World Cup after watching Thailand 2012 on TV. Not content with making that dream come true, Tri then marked his world-finals debut with a hat-trick.

Who better than the frontman, then, to offer some advice to any youngsters inspired by his stunning debut performance? “What would I say to them? I’d tell them to train hard and do their very best. They might end up playing at the World Cup too,” said Tri, who turned down an offer from an 11-a-side team at the age of ten so he could carry on playing futsal.

“I’d tell them to dream and to keep chasing that dream,” defender Van Vu Tran told FIFA.com. The only player to score in both Vietnam’s games to date, having got their fourth in the win over Guatemala and the consolation goal in the defeat to Paraguay, the 26-year-old economics and banking student added: “It’s very important for Vietnamese futsal that we’re here, but it’s also important for our football too. And I hope it helps other sports grow too.”

Both players display a maturity beyond their years, a quality that coach Garcia says they share with the rest of his squad: “I had my doubts as to how they were going to respond, not on the pitch but in terms of everything off it.”

He added: “The country has really got into futsal since the Asian Championship. There wasn’t that much support for it before, but the boys have a high profile now. It’s not easy to deal with success. I’ve been surprised at how they’ve shut themselves away from it and managed to play the way they’ve always played.”


An education
The 7-1 defeat to the Paraguayans in their second game proved to be another lesson in Vietnam’s learning process. “We were confident of putting in a good performance. We knew we might lose, but not by that margin,” team captain Bao Quan Nguyen told FIFA.com.

Explaining the reasons behind that heavy defeat, the 33-year-old wing said: “We made too many mistakes, which is where a lot of the goals came from. In contrast, we failed to make the most of their errors.” The oldest player in the Vietnam squad, Quan looked on the bright side: “The important thing now is to learn: we need to be more focused and play with more spirit. We lacked both those things.”

Ten years a futsal player, Quan is aware of the stature of their next rivals and the chances his side having of beating them, but insisted that Vietnam have nothing to lose: “The tournament is not over yet. Futsal is an unpredictable sport and it might just be our turn again.”




Courtesy: FIFA.com


Keshavarz, a coach out on the court

17 Sep 2016

Everyone knows that there are certain players who can act like an extension of the coach while the ball is in play. This is a rare and sought-after commodity, which explains why Iran boss Seyed Nazemalsharieh could not be happier to have Mohammad Keshavarz in his ranks at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016.

Keshavarz, it is worth noting, spent a year coaching the team for whom he plies his trade, Giti Pasand. "The club was going through some problems. We were without a coach and there wasn't enough money to bring in a new one, so I decided to step up to the plate to help my team," the 34-year-old told FIFA.com.

The experience of serving as a player-coach throughout the 2014/15 season gave the defender a whole new perspective on the game. On a day-to-day basis, he not only dictated his team's tactics, but oversaw training and had a hand in numerous organisational matters. "When you take up a position of responsibility, you view things from a different angle. I had to start handling all sorts of things overnight," he reminisced. "Now I better understand some of my former coaches and what they tried to teach me in my younger years," he added with a hearty laugh.


Future plans
Despite the challenging nature of that period, Keshavarz did not fare badly at the helm. Not by a long shot: the 2011 AFC Futsal Player of the Year guided his side to a runners-up finish in the Iranian league, falling just one point short of claiming the title. This short and sweet coaching baptism will unquestionably prove an asset when he decides to embark on the next chapter in his career.

"Of course I'd like to work as a coach one day," Keshavarz, the father of one daughter, said about his future. What he was more ambiguous about, on the other hand, was the subject of when exactly he will hang up his boots and make the move into the dugout for good. "I'll quit playing when I feel I no longer have anything to offer the team," was all he would say.

Considering how the six-time Iranian league champion has performed in Colombia, that day could well still be quite far off. At what is his fourth Futsal World Cup, Keshavarz is still playing a key role for his country and his vast experience was a pivotal factor in Iran's last game, an extremely hard-fought win over Morocco.

Watching the No4 in action, it is clear that this is very much a coach in the making. He is constantly talking to his team-mates and giving them instructions. After his team reached the foul limit early on in the Morocco match, he could be seen striving to keep those around him calm every time the threat of a sanction loomed. As if that were not enough, he displayed all of his nous in his one-on-one battles and forced the opposition into several misplaced passes.


The coach calls the shots
After that game, in which Team Melli eventually overcame the African champions 5-3, Keshavarz spent a good while locked in conversation with his coach out on the court. "We talk a lot, especially about tactical considerations. Then I try to get the message across to my team-mates in training," the veteran said. He was at pains to emphasise that he is not in charge: "It's the coach who establishes the system, I just relay it."

This interactive approach has worked well in Colombia so far. Iran stuck to their task impressively before eventually succumbing to European champions Spain in their opener and, after prevailing against Morocco, they remain in with a chance of making it through to the Round of 16. Having fallen at that stage in 2012, Keshavarz is keen to go further on this occasion.

"We came to Colombia with big ambitions and we want to stay in this wonderful country for longer," said the seasoned stopper bullishly. To ensure they do so, Iran must take three points from their last group fixture, which pits them against Azerbaijan in Medellin tomorrow, Sunday 18 September, at 18:00 local time.

Whatever happens, there is no doubt that these experiences in South America will serve Keshavarz well at some point during his coaching career. If he can draw on them, and the other lessons he has learned over the years, to get his charges to show the same sound judgement that he does out on the court, then we are sure to keep hearing an awful lot about him in the future.



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