NT Reporter
Panaji
Goa will be at the heart of India’s historic futsal moment as goalkeeper Ozen Vivian Silva and coach Joshuah Vaz take centre stage in the country’s maiden SAFF Men’s and Women’s Futsal Championships, to be held in Nonthaburi,
Thailand.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Tuesday announced 14-member squads for both tournaments, with Silva named among the goalkeepers in the men’s team and Vaz entrusted with leading the women’s side as head coach. The dual championships will be played in parallel later this month, marking the first time SAFF has organised futsal competitions for both men and women.
India’s men, coached by Iranian Reza Kordi, and the women under Vaz arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday after completing a month-long joint training camp in Bengaluru. The tournaments will be played in a single round-robin format, with all seven SAFF member nations competing and the table-toppers crowned champions.
For Goa, Silva’s inclusion carries added significance. The shot-stopper is one of eight players retained from last year’s AFC Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers, where India scripted history by registering their first-ever international futsal win, a 3-0 victory over
Mongolia.
On the women’s bench, Vaz’s appointment reflects the growing trust in Goan coaching
talent.
He will guide a squad that includes seven players with prior exposure at the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup 2025 Qualifiers, as India look to make a confident start in their inaugural SAFF
campaign.
The men’s team will open their tournament against Bangladesh on January 14 and face Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the days that follow. The women begin a day earlier, taking on Maldives on January 13, before matches against Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, with all games scheduled at the Nonthaburi Stadium.
