-says FIFA’s Konstin
By Floyd Christie
The participants of the recently concluded International Football Federation (FIFA) Futsal coaching course were yesterday presented with tokens and certificates of participation at the Transport Sports Club.
They were also encouraged to impart the knowledge received from the course within their respective communities.
The participants were lauded for their discipline, teamwork and adaptability throughout the course by facilitator of the coaching course and FIFA Futsal coach Constantine Konstin and officials of the Georgetown Football Federation (GFF) present at the closing ceremony.
Konstin thanked the GFF, the participating coaches and all who contributed towards the success of the course.
He also labeled football and Futsal as the “King and Queen” of sports and encouraged the participants to embrace the two forms of soccer when he addressed them at the closing ceremony. Recapping on the successes of recognized footballers who began their football career playing Futsal, Konstin urged the participants, as they return to their respective communities to work on developing coaches, to highlight the fact that “Futsal is not here to take over soccer, but Futsal is here to complement soccer.”
“You can use Futsal as a cross trainer and as a developer in the game of soccer,” Konstin said.
“A lot of kids cannot play soccer because they don’t have the athleticism coaches are looking for, but they have the craftiness and the sport of Futsal gives them the opportunity to be able to express their abilities,” he added. GFF President and Chairman of the Futsal committee, Colin Klass, also expressed his views on the coaching course, noting that he was very elated at the success of the course.
Klass said the GFF was pushing to develop football with the resources available to the federation in order to take local football to the “next level.” Klass’ remarks were well accepted and he stressed that Guyana is one of the countries within the region that is pushing Futsal. He also stated that the course has not been held in any of the other countries.
“I see a nexus between Futsal and the development of football on the 11-a-side scale,” Klass explained as he gave an example on Futsal’s benefit to the Brazilian men and women football teams.
“We’re too much behind,” the GFF boss lamented.He also observed that even though some players are of the view that the necessary facilities are not available for Futsal in Guyana, players should strive to adapt and carry football to the level where those responsible will be forced to make facilities available. In closing his feature address Klass advised players to aspire for excellence so that Guyana’s football can reach its pinnacle.
