Oman national university futsal team is taking part in 2022 FISU World University Championship Futsal which is under way at Gualtar Sports Complex in the University of Minho, in Braga, and the Multiusos in Guimaraes, Portugal.
Oman team, coached by Sami al Yousefi, grouped in a tough Group B which comprises teams from Brazil, Slovakia and Ukraine, while Group A comprises of Argentina, New Zealand and the hosts Portugal. Czech Republic clubbed in Group C alongside Poland and Saudi Arabia teams.
The Sultanate of Oman university futsal team began their campaigns on a positive note on Monday but they faced strong rival which was Brazil and the match ended for the latter by 9-0. Later, Oman team suffered the second straight defeat from Slovakia as the fixture finished at 4-2. Later on Wednesday, Oman concluded their group matches by an encounter with Ukraine.
For the same group, Ukraine beat Slovakia 4-1 in their opener, while Brazil managed to register their second victory over Slovakia 6-3 on Tuesday. With the triumphs, Brazil (world champion in 2016) and Ukraine sealed their spots to the next round of the championships.
Oman national university futsal team was established in 2008. This is the fourth attendance of the team in the FISU World University Championship after Serbia in 2008, Portugal in 2010, Spain in 2016. This edition was supposed to be played in 2020 in China, but was postponed to 2022 and hosted again by Portugal as China failed to hold it due to Covid outbreak impact. Oman university futsal team had positioned as runner up of Asian university futsal championship in 2019 and also as runner in the Arabian championship in Abu Dhabi the same year.
The team began their warm up sessions towards preparing for 2022 FISU World University Championship since last April under the watchful eyes of the national coach Sami al Yousefi. The head coach affirmed in a previous statement that the purpose of attending at the World University futsal Championship is not to lift the title, but to gain more experience. The team has featured many young faces who need to attend such global events and acquire required experience,” he added.
