Futsalroos Head Coach Robert Varela has selected a 14-player squad brimming with international experience for the upcoming AFC Futsal Championship to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from10-21 February 2016.
Six of the players selected (Jarrod Basger, Daniel Fogarty, Gregory Giovenali, Angelo Konstantinou (gk), Tobias Seeto and Peter Spathis (gk)) were members of the Futsalroos squad for the last FIFA Futsal World Cup in Thailand in 2012 where they finished third in their group behind Italy and Argentina. The remainder is a mix of youth and experienced players who have attended the AFC Futsal Championship in the past.
Varela is confident that the squad he has selected will be able to do the job of finishing in one of the top five places at the tournament to qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2016 which will be held in Columbia this September.
“Since qualifying for the tournament we have had a number of training camps and have worked hard at improving our fitness levels to be ready for the tournament,” said Varela.
“We know that we will be playing against full-time professional futsal players in our opposition ranks, but again we have worked hard to bridge that gap.
“It will be a difficult group to progress out of, but we know our opposition well and we believe have a good chance of qualifying to the knock-out stages.
“The whole squad and staff are very focussed for the job at hand and we are ready for the start of the tournament,” concluded Varela.
The Futsalroos have been drawn in Group D alongside reigning AFC Champions Japan, Malaysia and Qatar for the AFC Futsal Championship 2016. The Futsalroos will begin their campaign against Malaysia on Thursday 11 February, followed by Qatar on Saturday 13 February and then their final group match against Japan on Monday 15 February.
The Futsalroos qualified for the AFC Futsal Championships after finishing runners-up at the AFF Futsal Championships which were held in Thailand last October (2015).
Futsalroos Squad for AFC Futsal Championship Uzbekistan 2016 – 10 to 21 February 2016
|
NAME |
CLUB |
|
Jarrod Basger |
Baku United (UK) |
|
Daniel Fogarty |
Inner West Magic |
|
Gregory Giovenali (c) |
Dural Warriors |
|
Wade Giovenali |
Dural Warriors |
|
Brian Griffin-Colls |
Inner West Magic |
|
Glen Kelshaw |
Dural Warriors |
|
Angelo Konstantinou (gk) |
Inner West Magic |
|
Dean Lockhart |
Campbelltown Quake |
|
Grant Lynch |
UTS Northside |
|
Roberto Maiorana (gk) |
Inner West Magic |
|
Daine Merrin |
Dural Warriors |
|
Christopher Polkinghorne |
Dural Warriors |
|
Tobias Seeto |
Baku United (UK) |
|
Peter Spathis (gk) |
N/A |
AFC Futsal Championship Uzbekistan 2016 – Groups & Schedule
Group D
|
Teams |
P |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
PTS |
|
JAPAN |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
AUSTRALIA |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
MALAYSIA |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
QATAR |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Group D - Fixtures
|
Date & Kick-Off Time |
Match |
Venue |
Result |
|
11-02-2016 16:30 |
JAPAN v QATAR |
Uzbekistan Stadium |
|
|
11-02-2016 19:00 |
AUSTRALIA v MALAYSIA |
Uzbekistan Stadium |
|
|
13-02-2016 16:30 |
MALAYSIA v JAPAN |
Uzbekistan Stadium |
|
|
13-02-2016 19:00 |
QATAR v AUSTRALIA |
Uzbekistan Stadium |
|
|
15-02-2016 16:30 |
JAPAN v AUSTRALIA |
Uzbekistan Stadium |
|
|
15-02-2016 16:30 |
MALAYSIA v QATAR |
Universal Stadium |
Note: All kick-off times are local (UTC + 5)
For more information regarding the AFC Futsal Championship Uzbekistan 2016 please visit www.the-afc.com/competition/afc-futsal-championship