FUTSAL
Egypt cruise past Namibia to regain top spot in Group B
Three time champions Egypt produced a strong second half performance to beat Namibia 10-3 in the ongoing Futsal AFCON Morocco 2024.
GehadArafa’s side showed their class and experience against the tournament newcomers on Sunday, 14 April at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Hall.
Mohamed Farag forced a save from Cee-Jay Van Wyk in the Brave 5 goal before a clever interchange of Egyptian passes freed Khaled Abdelhalim at the back post but the Saudi based star fired against the post.
The three time champions broke the deadlock after 5 minutes through Alaa Eissa’s effort. Khaled Abbas smashed a shot straight into the midriff of Van Wyk as the Egyptians pushed to their second.
Mohamed Abdelrazak Koki missed a great opportunity to extend their lead while Nanguel Kamatuka saw his goal bound shot cleared off the line by an Egyptian defender.
The debutants leveled matters eight minutes before halftime courtesy of Reginald Clive Willemse’s stunning finish. Willemse pounced on a loose ball just outside the area to rifle his effort into the roof of the Pharaohs net.
Egypt regained their lead a minute later when Khaled Abdelhalim curled a delightful shot past Van Wyk but his celebrations were short lived as Rowen Jager equalised for the spirited Namibians.
Captain Ken Salote missed the target to put Ryan Jago’s men in front at the magnificent Prince Moulay Abdellah Hall. Namibia were punished on the stroke of halftime for wasting their chances when Mohamed Abdelrazek Koki slotted in their third to go into the break with a 3-2 advantage.
The North Africans extended their lead in the first minute of the second half when Essam Ramadan drilled in a low drive past Van Wyk to make it 4-2.
Mohamed Abdelrazek Koki scored his second of the match to give the Egyptians a handsome 5-2 advantage before Abdelrahman Moawad made it 6-2 with a toe poke finish to beat Cee-Jay.
Namibia keeper Ryiena Riya pulled a goal back on either side of Ahmed Mohamed’s quick double. Khaled Abdelhalim scored a second to put Egypt 9-3 up before Ahmed Mohamed completed his hat trick to make it 10-3 for the tournament’s most successful team.
Egypt sit at the summit of the Group B with 6 points with Mauritania in second with 3 points ahead of their match against Libya alongside Namibia are without a point.
The Kingdom of Morocco which has been the rallying point for hosting various football events in Africa and the globe generally is aiming for more events.
The president of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekja has announced that the kingdom will bid for the next Futsal World Cup. His action stems from the performance of Morocco’s team at this year’s Futsal in Uzbekistan.
Morocco got to the quarter-finals. Lekja made the remarks at a ceremony held at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Sale, the FRMF honoured Morocco’s national futsal team.
He praised the team’s performance and as he spoke about Morocco’s growing reputation in football. “Under the guidance of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, we are making significant strides in football development at regional, continental, and international levels,” said Lekjaa.
He further urged futsal officials to develop a comprehensive strategy to elevate the sport, especially in light of Morocco’s upcoming bid to host the Futsal World Cup.
Hicham Dguig, the national futsal team coach, expressed gratitude for the support received upon the team’s return from Uzbekistan.
Captain Soufiane El Mesrar echoed these sentiments, speaking to the substantial resources provided to the team and the importance of continued progress to maintain Morocco’s standing in the sport.
As Morocco prepares to host major football tournaments, including AFCON 2025 and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, its ambitions to host the Futsal World Cup further showcase the country’s dedication to cementing itself as a global football hub.
France brushed off allegations of match-fixing after their 4-1 defeat by Iran sent them into a softer part of the draw at the Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan.
After a lifeless first half, Iran easily prevailed after France conceded a soft opening goal in the second, triggering angry reactions from other teams, some of whom filed complaints to world governing body FIFA.
“FIFA is aware of complaints filed by participating teams at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024 regarding the Group F match between France and IR Iran,” a FIFA spokesperson said in a statement.
“No further comment will be made while this process is ongoing.”
The French Football Federation was not immediately available for comment.
While both teams had already qualified for the last 16, the result means France will take on Thailand before a potential quarter-final against Paraguay, while Iran face Morocco ahead of a possible last-eight clash against world number one Brazil.
“Iran and France, coaches and players alike, have disgraced my sport. You are a disgrace to the world,” Thailand coach Miguel Rodrigo wrote on X.
Retired Brazil great Falcao was quoted by French media as saying: “It shows a lack of respect for the World Cup. The match was clearly fixed from the first minute.”
France coach Raphael Reynaud said the way the match played out was about avoiding bookings and injuries.
“It was Iran’s responsibility to be in charge of the game,” he said. “The draw is more open for us but our main goal was not to get booked and to avoid injuries.”
-Reuters
Nigeria did not make the cut as FIFA makes an inaugural Futsal Men’s and Women’s World Rankings. This could be due to the inactivity of the country in that aspect of football – the indoor soccer.
The FIFA Futsal Men’s World Cup enters its 10th edition this year in Uzbekistan, but Nigeria had taken part only once in 1992 in Hong Kong.
The Nigerian team came last in Group A comprising of Argentina, Poland and Hong Kong after losing all three matches.
In contrast, Morocco are ranked Africa’s number one and sixth in the world. Thanks to their recent victory was winning the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Futsal tournament, when they beat Angola 5-1 in the finals.
Among the top-ranked countries alongside Morocco are Brazil, Portugal, Spain, Iran, and Argentina.
Brazil led the FIFA Futsal Ranking, followed by Portugal in second place, Spain in third place, Iran in fourth place, and Argentina in fifth place.
Morocco, in sixth place, is followed by Russia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and France.
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