News ID: 490

Date: 05 August 2025 - 22:43

Strong Support from the Minister of Sports for the Federation’s Futsal Programs

A specialized meeting focused on futsal was held this morning at the Ministry of Sports and Youth, aimed at coordinating efforts for a successful presence at the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh.

This session part of the second round of specialized meetings of the Commission for Monitoring the Performance of Sports Federations was attended by Ahmad Donyamali, Minister of Sports and Youth, along with senior sports officials.

During the meeting, Mehdi Taj, President of the Football Federation, expressed appreciation for the session and stated:

“Futsal has consistently brought pride to the country in recent years. Both men's and women's futsal leagues are being held with high quality and have received enthusiastic support from fans.”

He added that national futsal team camps and friendly matches are proceeding as planned by the technical staff. The federation is moving toward implementing video refereeing systems (VS) in the league and is also developing AI technology to monitor and enhance futsal performance.

Ehsan Kamyani, Head of the Futsal League Committee, explained the structure of futsal in Iran and emphasized the federation’s new comprehensive approach to futsal development. He noted that the ministry’s support is encouraging for the futsal community and reflects a proper understanding of the sport’s importance and role in the country.

He also outlined future plans for the national futsal teams, stressing the need to provide a calm and supportive environment for both senior and youth teams to train and prepare for international success.

Vahid Shamsaei, Head Coach of the Men’s National Futsal Team, presented a report on the team’s status and said:

“The level of competition at the Islamic Solidarity Games will be very high, as many of the world’s top futsal powers are Islamic countries. After that, we’ll face the AFC Championship in Indonesia. We promise to give our all to win gold in both events.”

Ali Sanei, Head Coach of the Youth National Futsal Team, also reviewed the youth team’s preparations for the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain this October.

Minister Ahmad Donyamali expressed satisfaction with Iran’s futsal performance and stated:

“In the public’s mind, Iranian futsal is synonymous with championship. This team is the most decorated futsal team in Asia, and the public expects titles. The Riyadh games are politically and athletically significant for the country, especially in team sports. The Ministry of Sports is responsible for ensuring a strong presence and will do everything possible to support the national futsal team.”

He also addressed the federation officials directly:

“Women’s futsal must receive special attention. Given its popularity in society, it has great potential to attract audiences. Everyone knows how impactful women’s medal wins are socially, and they must be supported more.”

At the end of the meeting, the Women’s National Futsal Team was positively evaluated. Federation officials expressed hope that the team could also win the championship. The main concern was the lack of preparatory matches, and the federation announced plans to participate in an eight-nation tournament in Thailand. After the Islamic Solidarity Games, the women’s team will compete in the Futsal World Cup in the Philippines, with expectations to reach the top eight.

Senior sports officials present included Seyed Mohammad Shervin Asbaghian, Seyed Manaf Hashemi, Mohammadreza Davarzani, Ali Reghbati, Mohammadreza Abedi-Mahzoun, Mohsen Sami’zadeh, Mehdi Ali-Nejad, Nasrollah Sajjadi, Asghar Rahimi, Mohammad Tabe’, and Reza Shaji’.