‘We still have a long, long way to go '

Dubai: The UAE's assistant coach has claimed the national side still has a long, long way to go before they can be considered to be among the top futsal nations on the continent.

Mohammad Al Marzouqi said improvements at the grass roots level would be vital in the development of the sport in the country, which failed to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament.

"The big benefit for us is that we know where we stand in futsal after participating in this tournament for the first time," Al Marzouqi told the media after the UAE bowed out of the 2012 AFC Futsal Championship following two losses in three games in Group A.

We have a long, long way to go still," Al Marzouqi said.

"Our first thing is to sit down with the technical committee and with the UAE Football Association and see what we have learnt from this competition… But as far as the growth of the game is concerned, we need to see that there are leagues and local competitions organised from the younger groups."