Brazil Joining Argentina at Kauai International Tourney
By Tim Sheldon
KAUAI, Hawaii (3-27-09) - Brazil has become the second country to commit to the Kauai International Futsal Tournament, to be held here July 17-18, 2010.
With this strong lineup coming together, O Globo T.V. of Brazil may also be present to
televise the matches.
.
Joining
Brazil and Argentina at the six-team tourney will be one country from Europe and three
from Asia. There is also the possibility that the U.S. could send a team, but tournament
organizer Jorge Bordt said he hasn't
talked with any U.S. Soccer officials about that yet.
(Argentina, Brazil met in San Bernardo do Campo. The match ended
6-6. Click
here to see video. Courtesy O Globo.)
Bordt, who is a tennis professional and part-owner of the Kiahuna Swim
and Tennis Club in Kauai and former Vice President for Marketing for the U.S. Minisoccer
Federation, said Japan, Thailand and Malaysia may also send teams.
Bordt said a Futsal court and viewing stands will be in place at the club to
accommodate the tournament.
Argentina has just completed a two-game Futsal visit to Brazil, tying the first game 6-6
March 22 in San Bernardo do Campo before losing 4-1 in the second match March 23 at Playa
Grande.
O Globo T.V. televised both matches and reached more than 50 million viewers each day.
It was reportedly the first time in 138 games that Brazil had been tied in an
international home match.
"They only used young kids on both teams," Bordt said. "Falcao did
play, but they put him on the bench because the Argentine kids were eating him up. He
doesn't defend, and they had to sit him down."
Mauricio Catelani, Vice President for Futsal for the Argentine Football Assn. (AFA), took the team to Brazil and told Bordt in a telephone conversation that he was very happy with the outcome. Catelani said he spoke with Brazil's vice president for Futsal, who said he'd heard about the Kauai tournament, and told Catelani, "if you're going, we're going."
In the meantime, Brazil had offered to visit Argentina for friendly matches, and O Globo has offered to do the production.
"We're excited at the prospect of O Globo doing something with us at the Kauai Tournament," Bordt said..