The new coach of the Lithuanian beach soccer team has been confirmed.

2024-05-30 16:00 © lff.lt

Former leader of the Lithuanian beach soccer national team, and later assistant to coach Sahib Mammadov, Aivaras Meškinis has been approved as the new head coach of the national team by the LFF Extraordinary Cases Committee.

The appointment of the new strategist is expected in exactly one month.

"There have been talks about my return to the team for some time. Initially, we negotiated the position of assistant with the federation, but later we decided together that I am ready for the position of head coach. My heart feels that I will succeed.

I want not only good results, but also to popularize this style of football attack. I want to make it so that we don't have to ask players to join, but they themselves will strive to be part of the national team. I will be honest: I hesitated a bit about the offer, but after weighing all the pros and cons, I said: when, if not now," Meškinis said.

Meanwhile, LFF president Edgaras Stankevičius wished the new strategist success.

"The former national team coach has done a lot of good work during his time, so it will not be easy for the new strategist to fill those shoes. Nevertheless, the federation, by accepting such an offer, showed full confidence in the coach and we hope that this trust will be justified," Stankevičius said.

Last year, under the leadership of S. Mammadov, the national team secured a ticket to the A division of the European Beach Soccer League for the first time in history. During the preparation, the Lithuanian team will play two friendly matches against the Polish national team on June 29 and 30.

"Time is short, so work is in full swing. The first task is to form a maximally competitive list of players. The former coach had a constant core with which he aimed for results, my vision is different.

We will face the strongest European teams, so I cannot promise a specific result. However, I can promise that both I and my team will give our all to ensure the best possible outcome," Meškinis said.

This October, the Lithuanian beach soccer national team faces another challenge - the selection for the World Cup.