TAMPA, Fla. (5-24-04) - Futsal is taking new
directions in the U.S.

The Asociación Mundial de Futsal has a designated
representative in the U.S. that is taking action to
provide an alternative to the much-criticized U.S.
Futsal Federation (USFF).

Philip Tecla, vice president of the Tampa Soccer
Academy and the U.S. Court Soccer Association,
disclosed that the academy has been the appointed U.S.
representative of the AMF since 2002 but has been
unable to do any promotion "because of Alex Para and
his supposed dictatorship in the Futsal world of the
U.S."

Para is President and CEO of U.S. Futsal, the U.S.
Soccer-affiliated organization that has been the
object of numerous complaints for its mismanagement of
Futsal in the U.S.

Tecla said Para also recently sent the academy "the
same threatening letter he is sending to several
organizations and/or clubs in the U.S. who are using
the word, Futsal."

"We understand now that most of the clubs or members
of the USFF are tired of this, and we the Tampa Soccer
Academy have pulled all our strings together to do
something about this," Tecla said.

At the top of the list is an inquiry by AMF's U.S.
representative into the legality of Para's so-called
trademark of the term, "Futsal" in the U.S.

The investigation is revealing that the Tampa Soccer
Academy has every right to use the term Futsal in any
way that it wishes. The reasoning is that "Futsal" is
a generic term that can not be trademarked or
patented, and Futsal is clearly a generic term. The
investigation is revealing further that there are
ample rulings from actual lawsuits that indicate that
no one can claim exclusive use of the word Futsal.
There is the old case where someone tried to trademark
the word "baseball", and the court ruled that no one
could claim exclusive use of the word "baseball".

There is a process by which a trademark can be
appealed, and that process may be launched soon in
relation to the term, Futsal.

Tecla said the Tampa Soccer Academy has, in the
meantime, received several calls and suggestions from
members and non-members of the USSF interested in
becoming members of the AMF.

He said the academy will take inventory of the Futsal
clubs in the U.S. and invite interested clubs to send
notes with information about the size and membership,
including the number of youth, men's and women's
teams. The information will enable the academy to
start organizing meetings and discuss the organizing
of AMF-sanctioned tournaments leading to state and
national championships.

The academy is inviting all U12 futsal players born in
1991, 1992 or 1993 to be selected for the U.S.
National Indoor Select Team that will take part in
world competition sponsored by AMF.

Tecla said the academy will update its website, which
now uses the term "court soccer" until the academy
gets the "green light that we can legally use Futsal."

The Tampa Soccer Academy is directed by Professor
Luciano Fernandez, former head coach of the Paraguayan
National Futsal team for 12 years and winner of theAMF
Futsal World Cup in 1988.

"With this, my Futsal friends, the AMF representative
for the USA hopes that all the Futsal Fanatics will
get together and make things happen," Tecla said.

---------

See also: AMF Maintaining FIFUSA's 'Historical'
Leadership in World Futsal at http://futsalonline.com/statement.html




__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Yahoo! Messenger.
http://messenger.yahoo.com/