Skövde show all-round ability

Skövde AIK's football team were celebrating promotion to Sweden's third level this weekend after victory against IK Sleipner - and as a futsal outfit they are proving themselves a true European force. Not bad considering that before making their successful UEFA Futsal Cup bow, they had never played indoors.

Second priority
They won the right to be Sweden's first representatives in this competition with a 10-1 victory against Tenhult. However, before travelling to Bulgaria to make their continental debut they were not even playing futsal, as the team that claimed the national title was made up of their eleven-a-side squad, and once pre-season began in January they switched back to the outdoor game.

Success achieved
It did not get in the way of success in the preliminary round, though, as they defeated KF Tirana, home team FC Mladost and Malta's Hibernians FC to progress, meaning Sweden were the only ones of the six 'debutant' nations in the competition to have their club reach the Main round. Not bad, especially considering not all their squad could travel due to work or study commitments, despite financial support from the Skövde local authority and Swedish Football Association.

Technical exercise
Now Skövde are in Croatia to play Athina' 90 Athens, hosts MNK Split and Athina' 90 in Group 2 on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, but although the top two will advance to join the giants of the game in December's Elite round, the club continue to focus on the eleven-a-side code. Coach Gudmunder 'Gummi' Magnuson explained: "I know that many teams have a specific futsal team, but we don't. However, we've got a good set of skilful players and we see it as a good way for them to improve their technique and pace."

Players to watch
As for the players to watch, Magnuson suggests: "Charbel Abraham, Oskar Nielsen, Johan Johansson and Oskar Öst are all players with good technique who work well on small surfaces, but we need the whole team to play well if we are to succeed."