Start of Tehran Four-Nation Futsal Tournament - 2003-10-20

The Tehran Four-Nation Futsal Tournament will kick off on Tuesday afternoon with a match between the national futsal teams of Iran and Armenia at the 12,000-seat Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran. The Iranian national futsal team will face Armenia at 5 PM today, followed by the U21 Iranian team competing against Spain, the world champion, at 7 PM. According to IRNA news agency, Mahmoud Khorakchi, the coach of the Iranian national futsal team, stated in an interview that the tournament is starting a day earlier because the Spanish national futsal players must participate in their league on Wednesday. He mentioned that discussions with the Spanish futsal team officials for their extended stay in Tehran were unsuccessful, as they announced that Spanish futsal clubs only granted two days off to their national players due to important matches in the league on Wednesday and Thursday. Khorakchi also commented on the 14 players selected for the Iranian national futsal team, stating that the final practice would take place before noon today, after which the names of the players would be announced. Regarding the status of Vahid Shamsaei, he noted that the football federation sent the player's ticket to Lazio club, and Shamsaei is expected to arrive in Tehran today. The Iranian coach shared his insights about the Armenian team, indicating that their playing style is similar to that of the Russian national futsal team, characterized by powerful, fast play and ball control. Therefore, he mentioned that the Iranian coaches would send physically stronger players onto the field today. Khorakchi also discussed a futsal coaching course currently being held at the national futsal teams' camp, led by Brazilian instructor 'Menzef' from FIFA, where the latest futsal techniques are being taught to Iranian coaches. This course will continue until Wednesday, with 30 futsal coaches from across the country participating. As of now, the Armenian national futsal team has not yet arrived in Tehran, but arrangements have been made for them to arrive today (Tuesday) at noon. The Iranian national futsal team is preparing for a strong presence in the Asian Futsal Championship and the qualifiers for the 2004 World Cup in Taipei. The sixth edition of the Asian Futsal Championship will be held in Macau in mid-May next year.