Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Taipei: Chinese Taipei will strive to revive the Asian futsal tradition that it started in Asia by implementing new steps for futsal development in the East Asian nation.
A four-man team from the AFC Futsal Development Programme concluded its two-day visit on Thursday.
The visit’s programme covered various aspects of futsal such as governance and administration, league and competition, grassroots and youth, national teams, coach education and referee development.
Chinese Taipe FA General Secretary Wang Sheau Shiun welcomed the AFC delegation on the first day of the visit and thanked the AFC for the initiative to evaluate the current futsal development status in Chinese Taipei.
“Chinese Taipei was in fact the first Asian country to host the official edition of FIFA Futsal World Cup and we are one of the pilot MAs who started futsal activities. Unfortunately, due to various grounds, we were not able to keep up with the pace of futsal development in the powerhouses in Asia.
“We are facing many difficulties, such as that our Futsal Committee is not in function for the last 2 years, lack of futsal facilities, limited support from local FAs and relevant stakeholders.”
“However, there are still some positive signs, for example, the number of futsal participation has increased significantly and we see more and more young kids play futsal in schools.”
“We seek the guidance and advice from AFC for us to integrate the existing resources in place.”
Abbas Torabian, AFC Futsal Committee member, who headed the AFC delegation, said: “I have been observing Asian futsal since 1999 and Chinese Taipei is the team that always is willing to improve in the game.
“We know futsal might not be the first priority for many MAs as it is always under the umbrella of football. But if we have the willingness to work hard, there are always ways which we could use to work things out. As a senior member of the AFC Futsal Committee, I can tell you the same difficulties you can find in other MAs. When we firstly started futsal in Iran, we were facing the same problems.
“But you have to be faithful and believe in yourself especially when you have the necessary ingredients to be successful.”
AFC Director of Futsal and Beach Soccer Development Ali Targholizadeh, a member of the AFC delegation, added his comments: “We are here to gather facts and information and we are willing to take any questions from CTFA. We understand there are some obstacles ahead for CTFA to overcome, but I believe there are some advantages for CTFA also such as economic strength and futsal tradition.”