by Mallorca Palma Futsal, defending champion, Barcelona, Benfica and Sporting Clube de Portugal will compete in the Futsal Champions Final Four starting next May 3. A duel between teams from the two most powerful countries in Europe in this sport that the protagonists dreamed of playing as close to home as possible. In fact, the Balearic team once again requested the big event, which they already hosted last year. However UEFA decided that the four teams had to fly miles of kilometers to fight for the title in Yerevan, Armenia.
The decision of the governing body of European football caused deep discomfort in the offices of the four clubs, due to the uncomfortable travel, the logistical problems, and the difficulties it will generate for fans who want to watch the matches live at the Karen Dermichyan Arena. . , headquarters of this final phase.
Precisely, The feeling among futsal fans with UEFA’s decisions is one of absolute contempteven boycott, of this organization towards this sport.
The anger of the four finalist clubs finally crystallized this Wednesday in the sending of an agreed textvery critical of the appointment of Yerevan, the director of futsal competitions, Laurent Morel, as Gustavo Muñana advanced in Relevo. In the letter, both Spaniards and Portuguese sent UEFA their “confusion” and “concern” about having to go to play the Final Four “5,000 kilometers away.”
None of the four clubs, among which there are three whose main activity is football, has made this complaint public, but they confirmed to Relief this joint action. In their message they accuse UEFA of preventing “clubs from offering their fans a real opportunity to fill the qualifications in the most crucial futsal tournament of the season, harming the event and the sport we worked so hard to make.” grow year after year.
This protest action, of which the Spanish and Portuguese federations were previously informed, has even managed to unite Sporting and Benfica, bitter rivals in Lisbon and in the Portuguese league.
Constructive criticism
None of the four signatories believe that the protest has any effect in causing a change of venue, but all consider that it was a necessary movement for the good of futsal. Thus, they wanted UEFA to receive at least this criticism “in a constructive and positive way, knowing how important it is to have open and transparent communication between clubs and UEFA to improve cooperation.”
In their letter they defended that this sport “could have better opportunities to establish collaborations and commercial interests, and better institutional promotion if the matches were played closer to the countries of the finalists. We do not see the benefits of playing the final phase of the Champions League so far from the countries of the clubs and fans.. We would like our fans to be able to be present at the games to support their teams, and that will not be possible with an event 5,000 kilometers away. Traveling will be too expensive for them.
Those that could have been venues because they were the “homes” of the finalists were ruled out. The Velòdrom Illes Balears was already the venue for the Final Four last year, while the Palau Blaugrana and the Altice Arena in Lisbon were busy on the dates chosen for the final. Athens and Basel emerged as alternatives, two countries that do not particularly shine in terms of interest in futsal, but at least they were closer than Armenia.
Pressure in a new European scenario
Finally, it should be noted that this gesture by Palma, Barça, Sporting and Benfica is part of the new situation that has opened up in European football after the Super League ruling and that has left UEFA somewhat weakened vis-à-vis the clubs, which They could organize their own competitions. A path that perhaps the continent’s big futsal clubs could be willing to explore. Or if not, at least it could be useful for them to pressure and improve their conditions before the European body.
