UEFA.com hears from the four coaches after the semi-final draw was made for the matches on 26 April at Almaty Arena.

Almaty Arena will stage April's finals involving hosts Kairat, Barça, holders Inter FS and Sporting CP.

Inter FS, Barça, Sporting CP and Kairat have reached April's finals after topping their groups.

Lithuania has been selected to stage the 2020 FIFA Futsal World Cup, the first in Europe since 1996, and will be joined by six other UEFA nations in the finals.

The elite round line-up is complete with the likes of holders Inter FS, Barça, Benfica, Sporting, Ugra and Kairat making progress.

MVFC Berettyóújfalu will represent Hungary in the UEFA Futsal Champions League after ETO FC Győr withdrew.

A total of 57 clubs have entered the rebranded competition and will be in the preliminary and main round draws at 14:15CET on Thursday 5 July.

The official UEFA Futsal EURO 2018 review contains in-depth tactical analysis, interviews and all the stats from the finals in Slovenia.

Inter FS made it five UEFA Futsal Cup victories in Zaragoza in the last of the 17 seasons before the relaunch as the UEFA Futsal Champions League.

Get the lowdown on the last four and all you need to know about the event in Zaragoza in the official programme.

Europe's FIFA World Cup hopefuls continued their preparations this month.

Who has played who in the eight FIFA World Cup groups? UEFA.com reads the auguries for the 14 European sides who will be competing in next summer's finals in Russia.

Holders Germany will face Mexico, Sweden and South Korea at the World Cup finals, with all-European group contests as England meet Belgium, and Spain play Portugal.

The 32-team line-up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia is complete, with holders Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Poland and France joining the hosts in Pot 1 for the draw.

The identity of Europe's 14 representatives at next summer's FIFA World Cup is now known. We check out their pedigree.

Russia laid down a marker with an entertaining draw against Spain while Germany twice came from behind to deny France. Check out how Europe's FIFA World Cup hopefuls got on.

Denmark overwhelmed Ireland to claim Europe's last FIFA World Cup berth after Sweden ousted Italy to follow Switzerland and Croatia through.

Poland striker Robert Lewandowski finished top scorer in the European Qualifiers with a record 16 goals ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Christian Eriksen.

Gianluigi Buffon won his 175th and final Italy cap on Monday, a record for a European. Could that soon be under threat, though? We check out the top ten.

Supporters all over the world can enjoy expansive coverage of the European play-offs for the 2018 FIFA World Cup thanks to UEFA's broadcast partners.

Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, Denmark, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Republic of Ireland and Greece are in Europe's FIFA World Cup play-offs – UEFA.com looks at their credentials.

Israel have parted ways with national team coach Elisha Levy 18 months into his two-year contract after his side finished fourth in their qualifying group for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The draw for the FIFA World Cup play-offs has been made: Northern Ireland v Switzerland, Croatia v Greece, Denmark v Republic of Ireland, Sweden v Italy.

These European Qualifiers set new records for overall goals scored in FIFA World Cup preliminaries and for the highest-scoring individual and team campaigns.

Belgium, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Poland, Portugal, Serbia and Spain have won their groups to join Russia in the finals, with the eight play-off teams now also confirmed.

Your swift action will solve your longstanding problem. Today, seek the blessings of your elders before going out of the house, as it will benefit you. Joyful time with family and friends Erratic behaviour of your darling might make your mood upset. Travel undertaken for business purpose will prove to be beneficial in the long run. You might feel annoyed by your spouse due to off mood. Today, you can feel good by helping a friend.

Argentina beat Russia 5-4 despite three Eder Lima goals in a meeting of two first-time finalists in Colombia while Portugal were pipped to bronze by Iran.

Russia and Portugal are through to the FIFA Futsal World Cup semi-finals but Spain and Italy, along with holders Brazil, are among the casualties in the knockouts so far.

Europe's representatives Portugal, Russia, Italy, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Spain all secured top-two finishes in the group stage to reach the last 16.

Portugal, Russia, Italy, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Spain are representing Europe in the FIFA Futsal World Cup: we look at the challengers in Colombia.

Ukraine will take on holders Brazil while European champions Spain have again been matched with Iran in the draw for the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup final tournament.

Azerbaijan have earned a FIFA Futsal World Cup debut after they, Italy, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Russia, Spain and Ukraine came through their play-offs to reach the finals.

Slovenia's 1-0 first-leg defeat of Spain ended a string of streaks held by the European champions, including 27 straight wins and unbeaten runs of more than a decade.

Russia, Italy, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Portugal and Slovenia, who surprisingly defeated Spain 1-0, were the winners in the play-off first legs. Returns on 12/13 April.

Just over a month on from UEFA Futsal EURO 2016, Europe's finest are back in action in the FIFA Futsal World Cup play-offs with Serbia facing Portugal again.

Two-time FIFA Futsal World Cup winners Spain will meet Slovenia for a place in the 2016 tournament in Colombia while Serbia are rematched with Portugal in the play-off draw.

Two-time winners Spain will contest the play-offs for the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup along 13 other sides, with ten of the 12 UEFA Futsal EURO 2016 finalists through in total.

Moldova, Sweden, France, Latvia, England and Finland won through from the FIFA Futsal World Cup preliminary round to join the top teams in December's main round.

Spain will travel to the Netherlands as they begin their bid to win a third title while debutants Denmark and Wales will meet after the preliminary and main round draws were made.

UEFA has produced a free to download flier 'Master the Ball' in 11 languages explaining the benefits and laws of futsal with testimonies from the likes of Lionel Messi.

Colombia has been selected to stage the eighth FIFA Futsal World Cup in 2016 with Bogota, Villavicencio, Bucaramanga, Cucuta, Ibaque and Neiva proposed as the host cities.

"The moment has finally arrived," said Spain captain Kike as he ended an international career that brought two FIFA Futsal World Cup triumphs and five UEFA Futsal EUROs.

A Neto double, including the extra-time winner 19 seconds from time, secured back-to-back FIFA Futsal World Cup triumphs for Brazil at the expense of regular rivals Spain.

Fortino struck twice after Sergio Romano had opened the scoring to seal a 3-0 victory for Italy in their third-place play-off against Colombia, who lost goalkeeper Juan Lozano to a red card.

Spain won the all-European semi-final in Bangkok 4-1 against Italy to advance to Sunday's FIFA Futsal World Cup final against holders Brazil, the conquerors of Colombia.

Spain and Italy will meet in Friday's FIFA Futsal World Cup semi-finals after winning their last-eight encounters, though Ukraine missed out following a defeat by Colombia.

There will be two all-European quarter-finals at the FIFA Futsal World Cup with Spain meeting Russia, and Portugal up against Italy following the conclusion of the round of 16 in Thailand.

Ukraine, Spain, Italy, Serbia and Russia all topped their groups unbeaten and the Czech Republic and Portugal also progressed to ensure all seven European sides made the last 16.

By Bishop Arthur Serratelli

On January 18, 2019, a video of Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann went viral. He was at the Lincoln Memorial standing face to face with a Native American man during the March to Life in Washington, D.C. On the basis of that picture, a frenzy of condemnations from reporters, commentators and politicians were heaped upon this student, accusing him of prejudice and hatred. Misinformation and lies spread like wild fire. Finally, when the facts were uncovered, the high school student was exonerated of any wrong-doing, even though much wrong had been done to him and his family. It was a rush to judgment. 

On January 29, 2019, American actor and singer Jussie Smollett reported that two masked men attacked him at 2 AM near his apartment in Chicago. He claimed that the attack was racist and homophobic. After Smollett’s initial report, friends and fans, celebrities and politicians expressed outrage at this hate crime. Twitter and Instagram fueled the frenzy of self-righteous indignation. However, in just three weeks, it was discovered that the whole event had been orchestrated by Smollett. Yet, before the facts were fully known, there was the rush to judgment and much chatter.

Gifted with reason, we are wired to make judgments. Discerning the good from the bad, the beautiful from the ugly, the right from the wrong, and virtue from vice: this is an essential part of our being human. However, every judgment must be founded on truth, not rumor; on fact, not fiction; on substance, not appearance. And every judgment must always be tempered with compassion. Albeit from opposite directions, the Sandmann and Smollett incidents show how quick we are to believe or disbelieve, to accuse or defend and how easily we pick a side and draw a line in the sand. And, all the while, truth grows ever more fragile.

Today’s rush to judgment gathers speed along the newly constructed digital highway. We get information instantaneously and, because we want solutions just as fast, we are quick to judge. As a result of this incessant communication about other people’s lives, we live on the edge between truth and falsehood. What years ago was whispered between a few people now goes viral and can never be retrieved. As a result, in this environment, deliberately passing on stories that destroy other people’s good names is nothing less than cyber bullying.

There is no area of modern society that is exempt from someone passing on false information, half-truths or blatant, deliberate lies. In a society of fast-paced information sharing, gossip has become so commonplace that people justify it as a way to right wrongs, correct others and unseat those whom they deem unfit for their chosen work. However, unlike the surgeon’s scalpel that removes the cancer, gossip is the arrow that destroys the other. 

As a statement sometimes attributed to Mark Twain says, “a lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots.” In a similar vein, Jonathan Swift once wrote, “if a lie be believ’d only for an hour, it has done its work, and there is no further occasion for it. Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it; so that, when men come to be undeceiv’d, it is too late…the tale has had its effect” (Jonathan Swift, The Examiner, Number 15, November, 1710).  For this reason, people of good faith should be slow to judge others. And never should they gossip. People who constantly judge or criticize others truly lack compassion.

Sadly, making negative judgments on others on the basis of appearances and then spreading those judgments to others is found among those who consider themselves Church-going people. It is especially found among those who set themselves as crusaders for a just cause and, then by their lack of charity, become unjust themselves. The fondness to judge and criticize others may well be a way of not facing one’s own sins. "It is often easier or more convenient to see and condemn the faults and sins of others than it is to see our own” (Pope Francis, Angelus, March 3, 2019).

In speech after speech, Pope Francis has been courageously warning us of the evil of gossip. “Gossip is a weapon and it threatens the human community every day; it sows envy, jealousy and power struggles… We might welcome someone and speak well of him the first day but little by little that worm eats away at our minds until our gossip banishes him from good opinion. That person in a community who gossips against his or her neighbor is, in a sense, killing him.” (Pope Francis, Homily, Domus Sanctae Marthae, September 2, 2013).  

Few things can match the harmful effects of gossip, whether it be slander or detraction. Defamation inflicts grave harm on the individual and destroys the community. It is against charity and, since God is love, it is against God himself. Charles Spurgeon, one of the most popular Baptist preachers of the 19th century, summed up the evil of talking about other people by saying, “the tale-bearer carries the devil in his tongue, and the tale-hearer carries the devil in his ear.” Gossip makes the devil laugh!

By Bishop Arthur Serratelli

A few years ago, Paul Croituru and his young son went out treasure hunting near their native village in Romania. To their surprise, they discovered ancient Greek currency dating back 2,350 years to the time of King Philip II. The 300 silver coins turned out to be counterfeit. The father and son now hold the distinction of having discovered the oldest counterfeit money known thus far.

Counterfeit money has been around as long as money has been around. In fact, some have named the production of counterfeit money “the world's second oldest profession.” During war time, nations often resort to counterfeit money to inflict harm on their enemies. During the Revolutionary War, Great Britain attempted to devalue the continental dollar by flooding the market with shovers (fake dollars). During World War II, the Nazis made prisoners in their camps forge British pounds and American dollars to destabilize their enemies’ economies and destroy them.

Satan constantly attempts to entice individuals into counterfeit religion where the forged currency is believing in God while denying sin. The devil would have everyone forget that sin is a reality. In this way, he can render ineffective in us the work of Christ who came to take away our sins. Failure. Weakness. Mistakes. Psychological pressures. Social customs. All these labels the devil uses to disguise sin. But, sin itself remains a fact.

Science always prides itself on beginning every research project with a fact. True religion, likewise, begins with the fact of sin in the world, original sin and personal sin. “The ancient masters of religion…began with the fact of sin. Whether or not man could be washed in miraculous waters, there was no doubt at any rate that he wanted washing. But certain religious leaders…have begun…to deny the indisputable dirt. Certain new theologians dispute original sin, which is the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved” (G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy). And so can the personal sins of hatred, envy, lust, pride, gluttony and greed likewise be proven.

Even a casual glance at Sacred Scriptures shows that sin taints even God’s greatest heroes and heroines. Adam and Eve lead the procession of sinners. Drunken Noah, untruthful Abraham, adulterous David and Bathsheba, disloyal Peter, and murderous Paul follow. Sin really is not that original. It is the monotonous repetition of the tragedy of Eden: choosing self over God. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 Jn 1:8).

In the Sacrament of Penance, the Church offers us the gift of a personal encounter with our merciful Lord who forgives our sins. However, many people, and sometimes even faithful Catholics, say that they do not need to go to a priest for confession to have their sins forgiven. Why confess to a priest who is a sinner himself? God will forgive sins without the ministry of priests. Certainly, God can forgive sins when we turn to him and repent. But, he has chosen to offer us his forgiveness through the ministry of the Church. And, for a reason.

Sin is not just between the individual and God. Every sin that we commit offends God and affects others. Every sin harms Christ’s Body, the Church. The act of confession before a priest recognizes the true nature of sin as an offense against God and others. And so, it is through the Church’s priests that God chooses not simply to forgive our sins but to reconcile us to the Church. (cf. Pope Francis, General Audience, November 20, 2013).

So important is confession that some of the holiest priests of the Church have spent hours in the confessional as missionaries of God’s mercy. St. Philip Neri, a busy parish priest in Rome, spent every morning hearing confessions before continuing his work with youth in the afternoon. So famous was St. Jean Vianney in hearing confessions that a new train station had to be built in his town of Ars so that people from all of France could go there to confess to this holy priest. Most recently, St. Padre Pio heard confessions for not less than 18 hours a day. There were always long lines awaiting him.  

During his public ministry, Jesus forgave sins (cf. Mk 2:5; Lk 7:48; Jn 8:1-11). And, then after the Resurrection, he entrusted this ministry of forgiveness to his priests. On Easter Sunday night, “Jesus said to them ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained’” (Jn 20:21-23). In confession, the priest, weak and sinful himself, acts in the name of Jesus and with his authority.  

In going to confession, we approach the priest, one by one, not as group, not as family. We humbly place before him all our own sins. To receive absolution and be forgiven, it is necessary not simply to confess all mortal sins, but also to have a firm purpose of amendment of sinning no more. As difficult as this might be at times, how great the grace! For, when the priest absolves us, we have, as Jesus promised, the certainty that our sins are forgiven.