According to Khabaronline News Agency; The Iranian Men's Futsal National Team is preparing to participate in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. The competitions, which will be held in Riyadh in December, are considered the most important event ahead for Vahid Shamsaei's charges this year. However, the national team's second training camp of the year concluded under circumstances where the national players faced only three first-division teams and lacked the opportunity to face foreign opponents. This occurrence makes Iran's preparation schedule noteworthy compared to some of its Asian rivals.

Three Friendly Matches Against Club Teams

According to Mehr, the national team first played against Esteghlal during its recent camp, and then faced Moghavemat Alborz and Moghavemat Hamedan. In the first match, all 21 invited players found the opportunity to take the field, and in the following two matches, the players were divided into two groups so the coaching staff could evaluate their conditions.

Consequently, Iran held three friendly matches in its second training camp of the year, all of which were against the country's first-division teams. This comes as the Riyadh Indoor Games are approaching, followed by the Thailand friendly tournament in March in the national team's schedule.

Iran's Rivals in International Tournaments

While the Iranian Futsal National Team concluded its second camp with three matches against first-division teams, some of its Asian rivals have gone through much heavier international schedules in recent months. Following two friendly matches against Portugal, Japan recently participated in the Brazil Futsal Tournament to gain the opportunity to face foreign opponents.

Afghanistan also participated in the Thailand tournament and then the Brazil futsal competitions, gaining experience playing against various teams. Afghanistan has had a total of 10 friendly matches—a statistic that highlights the importance of paying attention to the number and quality of friendly matches compared to Iran's preparation schedule. Uzbekistan also held four friendly matches against the national teams of Hungary and the Netherlands in September.


Defending the Championship Empty-Handed or Fully Prepared?

The third training camp of the Iranian Futsal National Team will begin soon in November so the coaching staff can once again evaluate the players' performance in the continuation of the preparation process for the Riyadh Indoor Games.

In the second camp, 6 players were invited to the national team for the first time and, by participating more in friendly matches, came under the coaching staff's magnifying glass more than other national players. This issue shows that, in addition to limitations in holding international friendly matches, the national team also faces the challenge of rejuvenation and evaluating newcomers. Now it remains to be seen whether Vahid Shamsaei's charges can defend their championship title in Riyadh despite these conditions and limited preparation time.

The Asian Indoor Futsal Competitions will be held in Saudi Arabia starting December 10. Iran, Thailand, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Kuwait will be the 12 participating teams in these games.

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Source: Khabaronline