The semi-finals of the UEFA Futsal Champions League have set the stage for an exhilarating Spanish-Portuguese clash between Benfica and Mallorca Palma Futsal, as well as Barça and Sporting CP. This marks the first-ever fully Iberian final in history, featuring four champion teams.
The defending champion, Mallorca Palma Futsal, will once again face Benfica in the semi-final, mirroring last year’s encounter. It will be only the second official meeting between the two teams. Making their debut in the continental competition, the Balearic Islands eliminated the Lisbon team (4-3) at the Velòdrom Illes Balears. Under the guidance of Antonio Vadillo, the team clinched the continental title and secured their first-ever championship after defeating Sporting CP in the final on penalties.
Benfica aims to dethrone the reigning European king and match its esteemed Portuguese rival, Sporting, with two titles. Despite being runners-up in 2003/04 and champions in 2009/10 as hosts, they have stumbled in four semi-finals since their triumph in Lisbon. The squad led by Mario Silva boasts two former Balearic players, Diego Nunes and Higor de Souza.
On the other hand, Barça will square off against Sporting in what has become a European classic.
In their last encounter during the Riga 2022 Final Four, Jesus Velasco’s team emerged victorious over the Portuguese in the final (4-0). With four titles under their belt, the blaugranas aim to equal Movistar Inter’s record of five titles in May. Sporting, led by Nuno Días, seeks redemption against Barça and aims for an unprecedented fourth consecutive final appearance (and seventh in eight years).
The draw was not without its controversies, notably the institutional ‘planting’ of Barça, Sporting, and Benfica at the SCC Karen Dermirchan Arena in Yerevan as a display of their discontent with UEFA’s choice of venue for the Final Four. Mallorca Palma Futsal was the lone team present, represented by its general director José Tirado. The current UEFA Futsal Champions League champion also joined in expressing dissatisfaction by signing a strongly worded letter addressed to the director of futsal competitions, Laurent Morel, along with all the participating clubs, condemning the decision to hold the final thousands of kilometers away.
UEFA remained silent officially but responded unofficially in private conversations with club officials who had openly criticized the organizational aspects of the tournament. This collective protest action saw three out of the four finalists absent from the draw, highlighting the discontent among the participating teams.
Yerevan will mark the third neutral venue for the UEFA Futsal Champions League finals, following Zadar, Croatia (a one-off eight-team event in 2021 due to COVID), and Riga, Latvia (2022). The SCC Karen Dermichyan Arena, with a capacity of 6,900, has been a host to various sporting events and concerts since its opening in 1983. It will be Armenia’s first major futsal final tournament, having previously hosted the European Under-19 Football Championship in 2019 in Yerevan.