Beach soccer started in Brazil 10 years ago and Russian players have a long way to go to catch up with their Brazilian counterparts.
This weekend, the Open Moscow Cup, the starting round of the Russian Cup of Beach Soccer, will open at a new stadium in Serebryany Bor on the Moscow River.
Ten teams have registered for the tournament here, but the figure will be higher at similar tournaments in Saratov, Samara and St. Petersburg, which have older beach soccer traditions than this city.
Vice-president of the federation Sergei Anokhin said it is hard to say how long it would take Russians to reach the proper international level. However, the experience of neighboring Ukraine suggests that it could take two or three years.
The Russian team will be formed in August to play in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in the qualifiers for the European and World Championships. The qualifiers start on August 5 and the World Cup will be held in March 2006 in Brazil, which held the first beach soccer championship ten years ago.
