The 31-year-old captain and star of the Brazilian national indoor soccer team, Falcao, said on Saturday that the World Cup of indoor soccer is crucial for the vindication of the team.
In the 2000 and 2004 World Cup, Brazil lost to Spain in the finals. With this year's tournament, hosted by Brazil, Falcao sees the Cup as a way to make up for the past.
Between Sept. 30 and Oct. 19, the World Cup of indoor soccer will take place in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. "There are many things at stake in this year's Cup," Falcao said.
"We want to win this year's Cup and forget about the past. It may be the last chance for many players on this team. It will be a defining moment for the sport and for the country. This is our objective.
We are focusing on one adversary at a time. If we sit around waiting for Spain, we will end up unfocused and sloppy," said Falcao, who has announced his retirement from the sport after the World Cup.
In the 2004 World Cup, Falcao was named the most valuable player of the tournament. He termed the top six teams in this year's tournament as Spain, Italy, Russia, Argentina, Portugal and Brazil.
(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2008)