Ivan Buchel has been representing Slovakia in Minifootball since 2017. He got into this dynamic and attractive sport thanks to his friend and teammate from classic football 6 years ago.
Thanks to his personality, he carried the captain’s armband in 2018 at the EMF EURO in Kyiv and as a captain, he will lead the Slovak team at the domestic championship in Košice.
- How can you describe your team before EMF EURO 2022?
- I firmly believe that the coaches did their best this time. I hope that it will work for us in Košice and we will get a great result. It will not be easy, in addition to good performance, we will definitely need a bit of luck, but we have to work hard to get the trophy.
- Who will be the biggest star of Slovakia in the tournament?
- It’s hard to pick up one player. I think we will benefit from teamwork. Everyone has a role. Someone makes a dirty job, someone is in charge of more tactical things, but every single player on the field is important.
- What are your duties and responsibilities as a team captain?
- My job is communication. I am like an extended hand of coaches in the team or a link between coaches and players. Of course, I also try to guide the guys and also help the younger players on the team.
- What would you personally like to achieve with the Slovak team at EMF EURO 2022?
- It would be a lie to say that I don’t want a medal. We will definitely do everything we can to get the best result. But we will go from match to match. The first goal is to advance from the group, which I believe we will succeed. We will see the quality of our opponents. However, we will try to advance to the playoffs from the first place.
- Playing in front of a sold-out Steel Arena will be a life experience for you, right?
- First of all, we believe that the Steel Arena will be sold out at each of our matches. I don’t think any of our boys have ever experienced such a backdrop. Even though some of them also played football in higher competitions or also represented Slovakia in futsal.
- Do you feel nervous about the upcoming championship?
- I don’t know if I’m nervous, but lately, I’ve been thinking about it more and more. It will be a great experience to play at home. I’m already looking forward to the championship.