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The 3^rd FIFA Futsal (Indoor) World Championship - Spain 1996
Asian Preliminary Competition

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* Hong Kong Failed to the Finals

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Improved Standard - Compared to Hong Kong 1992

A definite improvement in standard and a trend towards specialisation in terms of tactics and the type of player selected - these were the main differences seen at the third edition of this event compared to the Futsal World Cup 1992. The top teams have become more even in standard, but a big gap still remains between those who qualified for the second round and those who were eliminated after the group games. This is still a young sport and in some continents it is unfortunately not yet established.

The four semi-finalists, Brazil, Spain, Russia and Ukraine had teams composed entirely of players who would perhaps not all be considered professionals in their home leagues, but who were certainly very close to this status in terms of training and competitive match intensity. For the future it seems very probable that teams not composed of real indoor specialists will have little chance of being up there among the best in international competitions (only Holland and Belgium out of the teams qualifying for the second round used players who also play competitive football outdoors).

From the physical standpoint there was no typical prototype of the indoor player. Some were very tall like Santi and Lorente, both of Spain, and the Russians Kisselev and Eremenko; others were stocky powerful figures like Brazil�s Ch�co, while the Oussakovskii twins from the Ukraine and Spain�s Ferreira were on the small side. But they all had some things in common - excellent ball control, speed off the mark and agility.

Collective play as the tactical plan
The following tactics were what brought the top teams success:

• Rapid interpassing in attack for Brazil and Spain
• Rational play for Uruguay, Holland and Italy
• Complete block changes for Ukraine, Russia, Holland and Belgium, with one block being mainly offensive and the other rather defensively oriented.

In addition the following observations were made:

1. Sudden changes of pace. This was hardly to be seen in earlier years - then the tempo seemed to remain much the same throughout.
2. Individual efforts have become rarer. Particularly the European teams played collectively. While individual players had been able to affect the course of a match in 1992, now what counted was the overall team balance. There were still some outstanding players on view but these, to take Brazil as an example, had to fit into the coach�s tactical plan.
3. Fluid combination play was what characterised the best teams. The ball was circulated around, and movement and positional changes off the ball were of decisive importance.
4. The top teams are now closer together, but the differ-ence between the very best and the weakest is still considerable. While Brazil may be feeling their challengers breathing down their necks, the European top level has become wider. Part of this is due to the formation of new associations (mainly in countries of the former USSR or ex-Yugoslavia) who have some superb players in their ranks.

   Specialisation determines the technique
   Without specialised in-door players, no team can hope to win a title any longer. Most of the outstanding players would not be rated by experts as likely to get a place at international or even national level in the outdoor game, but indoors there were some great performances. The major competitions of the future will be dominated by those national associations who develop Futsal as an independent sport in its own right.

   The Ball
   With the coming of the new ball, it was noticed that certain new techniques have increased in importance compared to earlier tournaments:

   The lob: although most of the play indoors is on the ground, the lob has proved valuable in both attack and defence.

   Shooting: in addition to the many hard and well placed shots taken with the instep or the inside of the foot, there were also a lot struck with the toe. Above all the Brazilians used this technique.

   Passing: the inside of the foot pass is no longer the only way that the ball is passed. As in the outdoor game the outside of the foot is being used more, which gives the game much more verve.

   Ball control skills for indoor football have clearly become more specialised compared to the outdoor game. The characteristics of the indoor ball make new forms of training necessary which distinguish the indoor specialist from the good all round player (active indoors and out).

(Data Source: FIFA)