The San Marino Futsal Championship gets back underway today. The new season kicks off on Monday, 14 September, with five matches scheduled for the early evening, while the round will be completed between Tuesday and Thursday. The restart also brings a change to the format: at the end of the regular season, only the top eight teams in the standings will qualify directly for the playoffs.
The opening whistle is set for 8:15pm at the Domagnano Stadium, where reigning champions Murata take on Folgore. The Bianconeri return with several changes from the side that won the title, starting with a new head coach. There is also fresh news for Folgore, who finished last season strongly and are set to restart under new technical leadership with a handful of new signings.
Also at Domagnano, at 9:45pm, it’s Libertas against Cailungo. The Granata have strengthened their squad with the arrival of, among others, national team player Matteo Moretti, San Marino champion in the last two seasons with Murata. Cailungo, on the other hand, are banking on continuity, keeping their technical staff and most of the young squad from last season.
Two more matches will be played at the Fiorentino ground. At 8:15pm, Faetano face Tre Penne, with the Biancazzurri coming off a third-place finish last season and largely keeping their squad intact but under a new coach. At 9:45pm it will be Virtus against Cosmos. Runners-up Virtus continue with captain Fabio Belloni and coach Michelotti, while Cosmos have also retained their coach and captain, bringing in new players to build a more experienced squad.
At 10pm at the Multieventi, meanwhile, Juvenes Dogana take on La Fiorita in the evening’s only indoor fixture. Both sides have brought in players with senior national team experience. Among the new arrivals is Andrea Ercolani, who returns to the San Marino championship as La Fiorita’s new pivot after a spell in Rimini.
The opening round continues on Tuesday, 15 September at 10pm, at the Acquaviva gymnasium, with Pennarossa facing Domagnano. The Biancorossi arrive with several experienced additions, including Danilo Busignani and goalkeeper Protti, while Domagnano have chosen to keep most of last season’s group together.
The round will close on Thursday, 17 September at 10pm, again at Acquaviva, with the derby between Fiorentino and Tre Fiori. Both teams enter the new season having taken different paths and thoroughly overhauled their rosters.
San Giovanni will have the bye this round. With seven matches spread across three evenings, the new San Marino Futsal Championship gets underway, with a playoff format that will make the race for the top eight spots decisive from the very first matchdays.
