Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan’s Futsal Association and Portuguese club Benfica have discussed plans to establish a futsal academy in Uzbekistan and expand cooperation in developing young players.
Bekzod Mamatkulov, president of the Uzbekistan Futsal Association, visited Benfica’s headquarters in Lisbon during a working visit to Portugal, where he met the club’s vice-president, Tomas Barroso.
The two sides discussed ways to develop practical cooperation between futsal clubs in Uzbekistan and Portugal, including exchanging expertise, organising joint training camps and providing opportunities for Uzbek coaches to improve their qualifications at European clubs.
One of the main topics was the proposed establishment of a modern futsal academy in Uzbekistan. The project is expected to draw on Benfica’s experience and Portugal’s player development system, including methods for identifying young talent, selecting promising players and preparing them for professional careers.
The initiative envisages systematic training for young futsal players, improvements to coaching methods and the introduction of modern approaches to player development based on European experience.
As a follow-up to the talks, the parties also agreed to arrange a return visit to Uzbekistan by Benfica specialists.
During the visit, the sides plan to discuss the selection of promising young athletes, ways to improve their playing skills and opportunities for them to gain practical experience at Portuguese clubs.
The cooperation is expected to expand the exchange of professional expertise between Uzbekistan and Portugal and create additional opportunities for the development of young futsal players.
