NAYPYITAW (22 Dec 2013) – With the fight for the men’s Futsal gold medal a foregone conclusion even before the SEA Games begin, it is women’s Futsal which should be given more exposure and playing time.
The standard between teams is not that far off and where throughout the competition, there were no double digit scores as compared to when ASEAN powerhouse Thailand’s men Futsal team demonstrated on their way to winning the title.
The Thais –a regular at the FIFA World Cup – opened their campaign with a 12-3 thrashing of Laos before wrapping the SEA Games crown with an 8-1 beating of Vietnam.
Thai coach Vic Hermans agreed that there should be more exposure for the women.
“Definitely, the women need more competition,” said Hermans. “It is good for the growth of Futsal if more women competitions are organized.”
While Vietnam coach Sergio Gargelli would only give a nod to the idea of more Futsal competitions for the ladies but would not coach a team himself, Malaysian coach Marcelo Serpa is more receptive.
Serpa, who came to Malaysia last year, has changed the Futsal landscape in the country and where he has made the Malaysian girls more competitive.
“They are now playing Futsal but they are not winning enough,” said Marcelo. “They had a good tournament here and now it is important that they get more international exposure. At the moment, it is not enough.”
While the Thai women may not be as clinical as the men, they are still a force to be reckoned with. They stuttered in some matches but they recovered to comprehensively beat Vietnam in the final.
The Thai women overcame Vietnam 5-0 to lift their second title in two editions of the SEA Games.
“We have not had a league for the past two years, so it has been very tough,” said FA of Thailand Futsal Committee secretary Somsak Khamdee. “We are planning a league next year but it will be good if we can have a regional tournament every year too.
“That will raise the level of the game for sure.”
