Sport

Norouzi says no reason why Afghanistan can’t win Futsal World Cup

The Lions of Khorasan will have one factor in their favor. Afghanistan shares a border with Uzbekistan and are expected to enjoy vociferous support at the tournament

Published

4 months ago

August 25, 2024

Ariana News

With just under three weeks to go before FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024™ kicks off, Afghanistan’s team is gearing up to take on Angola in their first match of the tournament on September 15.

Speaking to FIFA this week, Afghanistan player Mahdi Norouzi said: “Playing in the Futsal World Cup is very important to the people of Afghanistan. They have longed to see their team in the World Cup for many years and fortunately we were able to advance to the World Cup with the help of the head coach, the players and prayers of our people.”

This comes after Afghanistan went into the AFC Futsal Asian Cup qualifiers for the first time in April - and as rank outsiders.

Majid Mortezaei’s side nevertheless recorded 5-3 victories over Iraq and Kyrgyz Republic to conquer the four-team play-offs for a place at the World Cup.

“We were so happy that we were able to make the people of Afghanistan proud and give them a smile,” Norouzi said.

“The people of Afghanistan deserved this happiness.”

He went on to say that Afghanistan’s head coach has been watching not only Helber Garcia, Angola’s star, but all their players.

“Without doubt we’ll have a special plan to play against Angola and beat them,” he said.

Argentina, who finished first and second respectively at the last two FIFA Futsal World Cups, will provide hurdle number two, but Afghanistan are undaunted by their opponents’ credentials.

“It’s true that Argentina have a very good team and are one of the contenders to win this World Cup,” Norouzi remarked.

“But no team has as much motivation as we do. We have no fear of Argentina and we will enter battle to win.”

He said the team’s first goal was to advance from the group stage and that ultimately they would like to win the title.

“Every team that qualified for this Futsal World Cup is good and it’s difficult to predict who will lift the trophy, but I really like Afghanistan’s chances.

“Every team has big stars. I think many players from Brazil, Portugal, Spain and even Afghanistan are among the world’s best players,” he said.

The Lions of Khorasan will have one factor in their favor. Afghanistan shares a border with Uzbekistan and are expected to enjoy vociferous support at the tournament.

“We are neighbors,” explained Norouzi. “Many of our compatriots live in Uzbekistan. We expect to have many fans cheering us on.”

For fans unable to travel to the sporting extravaganza, Ariana Television will however broadcast matches live across the country.

Afghanistan’s first match, on day 2 of the tournament, will take place on Sunday, September 15 at 17:00.

This will be broadcast live on Ariana Television.

This is the first FIFA tournament to be held in Central Asia, and as such is expected to draw crowds of supporters.

Three Host Cities, the capital, Tashkent, Andijan in the Fergana Valley and in ancient Silk Road trading center of Bukhara, will stage games as Uzbekistan becomes the fourth AFC member to host the FIFA Futsal World Cup after Hong Kong (1992), Chinese Taipei (2004) and Thailand (2012).

The 24-team line-up for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024 is as follows: Afghanistan, Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, France, Guatemala, IR Iran, Kazakhstan, Libya, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, Tajikistan, Thailand, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

Up Next

Afghanistan name preliminary squad for one-off test against New Zealand

Don't Miss

Afghanistan’s U-17 football team wins CAFA championship

Sport

Zimbabwe’s opening ODI against Afghanistan abandoned

Afghanistan won the toss and put the hosts into bat but it took four hours before any play was possible, with the game by then reduced to a 28 overs per side.

Published

16 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Ariana News

Heavy rain led to the abandonment of the first one day international between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.

Afghanistan won the toss and put the hosts into bat but it took four hours before any play was possible, with the game by then reduced to a 28 overs per side.

Azmatullah Omarzai took 4-18 in 4.2 overs as the visitors made good inroads to have Zimbabwe 44-5 in the 10th over before the rain returned and ended hope of further play.

The second of the three match ODI series will be played at the same venue on Thursday.

Sport

Lanka T10: All three matches abandoned due to rain

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2024

Ariana News

Relentless rain on Monday resulted in all three Lanka T10 Super League matches being abandoned without a ball bowled at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.

All teams except for the Jaffna Titans had been anxiously waiting to play their remaining matches of the league round in order to qualify for a place in the second stage of the inaugural event.

The matches that were affected were Nuwara Eliya Kings v Galle Marvels; Hambantota Bangla Tigers v Colombo Jaguars; and Jaffna Titans v Kandy Bolts.

All six teams grabbed a point each from the results which meant that Jaffna Titans, Hambantota Bangla Tigers, and Galle Marvels have qualified for the second stage of the tournament.

Prior to Monday, however, Jaffna had already clinched their spot to play in Qualifier 1. They head the standings with 10 points winning four of their six matches with two No Results.

Following Monday’s result Hambantota finished second with seven points to join Jaffna in Qualifier 1.

Galle also had the same number of points (7), but on the net run rate had to be content with the third spot, which meant that they will play in the Eliminator.

Who will play Galle is the big question here for three teams with four points each in the running – Colombo, Kandy, and Nuwara Eliya.

The three matches scheduled for Tuesday will decide the fate of the remaining three sides.

Weather permitting, the matches scheduled are: Colombo Jaguars v Jaffna Titans; Kandy Bolts v Nuwara Eliya Kings; and Galle Marvels v Hambantota Bangla Tigers.

Currently, Colombo, with a better net run rate, are placed fourth, with Kandy and Nuwara Eliya in fifth and sixth places respectively.

The knockout games are scheduled for Wednesday, December 18, with the final on Thursday, December 19.

Matches, depending on the weather, will be broadcast live on Ariana Television from 2:30 pm Tuesday.

Sport

ATN once again seals deal to broadcast upcoming IPL across Afghanistan

Next year’s event will kick off on March 14 and run through to May 25. That’s just over 10 weeks of exhilarating cricket.

Published

2 days ago

December 17, 2024

Ariana News

Ariana Television and Radio Network (ATN) has once again secured the rights to broadcast another thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) live and exclusively in Afghanistan.

That’s right, fans will once again be treated by Ariana Television to all the thrills, spills and unforgettable IPL moments in the comfort of their own homes.

Next year’s event will kick off on March 14 and run through to May 25. That’s just over 10 weeks of exhilarating cricket.

While we know the event will run from March 14, the complete IPL 2025 schedule, including dates for knockout matches, and the final, is yet to be announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Next year’s tournament, like in the past, will see ten teams competing in 74 matches.

Kolkata Knight Riders are the defending champions, having won their third title in the 2024 edition after beating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.

The teams are:

– Chennai Super Kings
– Delhi Capitals
– Gujarat Titans
– Kolkata Knight Riders (defending champions)
– Lucknow SuperGiants
– Mumbai Indians
– Punjab Kings
– Rajasthan Royals
– Royal Challengers Bangalore
– Sunrisers Hyderabad

IPL 2025 sees some exciting team changes, reshuffled lineups, and strategic player acquisitions.

For instance, Rishabh Pant broke the auction record on day one of the two-day IPL Auction in Jeddah when Lucknow Super Giants got the star wicket keeper for a whopping $3.20 million.

Punjab Kings in turn snapped up Shreyas Iyer for $3.17 million.

The IPL Auction also saw one cricketer becoming the youngest ever to be sold on auction.

Indian’s 13-year-old cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi, from the eastern Indian state of Bihar, went to the Rajasthan Royals for $130,500 after coming into the auction at a base price of $35,591.

Seven Afghan players were snapped up for next year’s season, including Rashid Khan who was retained by Gujarat Titans for $2.1 million.

Karim Janat will make his debut at the IPL and was picked up by Gujarat Titans for just over $88,000; Noor Ahmad Lakanwal was signed by Chennai Super Kings for $1.18 million; Azmatullah Omarzai was sold to Punjab Kings for $284,000; Rahmanullah Gurbaz was resigned by Kolkata Knight Riders for over $236,000; Fazalhaq Farooqi went to Rajasthan Royals for $236,000 USD; and 18-year-old young spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar was signed by Mumbai Indians for $568,000.

While match details have not yet been announced, cricket fans across the country can watch this space and follow Ariana Television’s social media platforms for news and information ahead of the tournament.

ATN to broadcast exciting 2025 ICC Champions Trophy live in Afghanistan