Official: Mendes appointed head coach of Uzbekistan national futsal team

On April 6, the Uzbekistan Futsal Federation officially signed a contract with Jose Maria Mendes, appointing him as head coach of the national team. This was reported by the federation’s press service.

For reference, the Spanish coach has previously led the Uzbekistan national futsal team on two occasions, from 2011 to 2012 and again from 2014 to 2017. Under his guidance, the White Wolves won silver medals at the 2016 Asian Championship held in Tashkent. He also coached the country’s Ardus club from 2016 to 2017.

Mendes was born on March 28, 1974, in Lugo, Spain. He began his career as a goalkeeper for Lugo and Autos Lobelle. However, his playing career in futsal did not last long, and he moved into coaching at the age of 22.

It is worth noting that on February 6 this year, during an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee of the Uzbekistan Futsal Federation, Nodir Eliboyev stepped down as head coach of the national team. The federation had announced Mendes’ return to the team in March.

Ramazon Usanov