Iran ready for Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup, coach says

Tehran Times – DUBAI, Iran coach Marco Octavio Simoes Barbosa (or simply Marco Octavio) says that they are well prepared for the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup 2018.

Team Melli have been drawn in Group B along with three-time champions Russia, 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup runner-ups Tahiti and the U.S.

Group A consists of the UAE (host), Brazil, Egypt and Spain.

The tournament will be held in Dubai, the UAE from Nov. 6 to 10 in two groups of four teams.

Marco Octavio will start the campaign with a match against Tahiti on Nov. 6.

“We have strong opponents in the tournament and I believe that top eight teams will participate in the event to win the title,” Octavio said in an exclusive interview with Tehran Times.

“Now, we are focusing on our first match against Tahiti. Iran held a good training camp in Portugal and our young players had the opportunity to play Portugal beach soccer clubs to gain more experience,” the Brazilian added.

“We respect all the participating teams in the competition and know that they will play in the highest level. But, we also are fully ready and well prepared for the competition,” Octavio stated.

“We are very motivated for taking part at the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup since the competition is the most important beach soccer event after the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

“Iran will hold a training camp in Rio de Janeiro from Jan. 24 to Feb. 3,” Octavio concluded.