Iran futsal team to play friendlies against Tajikistan, Thailand
The Iranian men’s national futsal team is scheduled to play a number of friendly fixtures as part of preparations for the 2016 Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s Futsal Championship in Uzbekistan early next year.
Head coach of the Iranian outfit Mohammad Nazim al-Sharia said on Sunday that two delegates from the futsal committee of the Islamic Republic of Iran Football Federation (IRIFF) are about to leave for Dushanbe, assess the sports facilities there and complete the necessary arrangements for two friendly matches against Tajikistan’s national futsal team.
Nazim al-Sharia said that IRIFF officials are strong-minded about holding training camps abroad, and view Tajikistan as a suitable venue given that its climate is relatively close to that of Uzbekistan.
He said he has also had a meeting with head of futsal committee in IRIFF Abbas Torabian, and the two have exchanged viewpoints about a friendly between Iran and Thailand.
The 2016 AFC Futsal Championship will be the 14th edition of the AFC Futsal Championship. It will be staged in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, between February 10 and 21.
Iran has been drawn alongside China, Iraq and Jordan in Group B of the forthcoming sports event.
The Chinese hosts, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia form Group A, while Chinese Taipei, Tajikistan, Thailand and Vietnam were drawn in Group C. Group D consists of Australia, Japan, Malaysia and Qatar.
The top two teams in each group will qualify for the knock-out stage. The five top teams will qualify for the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup, which will be the 8th edition of the FIFA Futsal World Cup, in Colombia.
According to the latest classification published by the Asociación Mundial de Futsal (AMF), the Iranian squad has maintained its position as Asia’s best with 1,609 points, but dropped one spot in the world’s overall standings to claim the sixth slot.
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