Captain Mizo leading from the front for Egypt

Beset by economic and political problems, the people of Egypt could do with a little positive news. Thankfully, good tidings have just come in the shape of the national team’s qualification for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016.

The Pharaohs sealed a place at the world finals for the sixth time in a row – a sequence that began at Spain 1996 – thanks to their run to the final at the recently-concluded 2016 CAF Africa Futsal Cup of Nations in South Africa. To mark the occasion, FIFA.com spoke to Egypt captain Mizo, who looked back on his early days in the game, explained his reasons for taking up futsal and set out his objectives for the big event in Colombia.

A born leaderA professional footballer at the age of 18, Mizo switched to futsal after being spotted by Mouaffak Al Sayed, who asked him to join up with the national team. The player did not hesitate to accept the invitation, as he explained: “It wasn’t a difficult decision, as I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to wear my country’s jersey. I wanted to travel and live like a professional player, and that’s why I accepted straightaway.”

Mizo’s choice to opt for futsal was immediately rewarded with a contract with Qatari club Al Khor, where he picked up some valuable experience before returning to Egypt to play for Misr Al Maqasa, a team boasting no fewer than seven internationals.

In the meantime, he has represented his country at three consecutive African finals, and is now looking forward to a third straight Futsal World Cup appearance, having also run out at Brazil 2008 and Thailand 2012.

One of the …

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