Jose Maria Mendez resigns as Uzbekistan futsal team head coach

Spanish coach Jose Maria Mendez has stepped down as head coach of Uzbekistan’s national futsal team due to “serious health problems”, the Uzbekistan Futsal Association announced.

According to the association, Mendez had been undergoing medical examinations since late August due to heart failure. He was initially examined in Tashkent before being referred to Madrid for further tests.

Spanish doctors recommended that the coach temporarily suspend his professional activities and undergo a course of intensive treatment.

Following the doctors' recommendations, Mendez asked the association’s leadership to accept his resignation. The association reviewed his request and approved it, taking his health condition into account.

“Even from a distance, I will continue to follow the national team’s activities and support them. I am confident that you will secure a place at the World Cup. I would like to say that I am always ready to help and offer advice to the future coaching staff if needed,” Mendez wrote in a farewell letter to the association.

The association wished the coach success with his treatment and a speedy, full recovery.

A decision on the appointment of a new head coach for Uzbekistan’s national futsal team will be announced later.

In September, the association addressed Mendez’s absence from the team’s European tour. The association had purchased a flight ticket for him to Budapest in advance. According to the plan, the Spanish coach was to lead the team in friendly matches against Hungary and the Netherlands. However, he was undergoing treatment in Madrid at the time.

Mendez was appointed head coach of Uzbekistan’s national futsal team in March. He had previously led the national team twice, first from 2011 to 2012 and then from 2014 to 2017. Both times, he left the team after his contract expired. Under Mendez’s leadership, Uzbekistan won silver at the 2016 AFC Futsal Championship.