Portugal Legend Luis Figo Launches Premier Futsal in India
The five-a-side competition will be held in the country from July 15. Luis Figo will be the president of the league.
Highlights
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Luis Figo was FIFA World Player of the Year in 2001
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The 10-day tournament will be held from July 15
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Futsal is a five-a-side game played on a much shorter field
Portuguese football legend Luis Figo on Tuesday launched Premier Futsal, a five-a-side game on a much shorter field featuring eight city-based franchise teams. (Read more football stories here)
The 10-day tournament will be held in the country from July 15.
Figo, who played with distinction for top Spanish sides Barcelona and Real Madrid, will be the president of the first-ever futsal league, started by Indian entrepreneurs under the entity Premier Futsal Management Private Limited, it was announced at a media conference in Mumbai.
The tournament is to bring together 56 top futsal players from 21 countries across the world with each team comprising three international players, one international marquee football player and one Indian player. Each squad would be made up of 12 players.
The league, in association with Futsal Association of India, would launch a talent programme across eight cities to identify five regional players of each team. The eight cities/states having franchise outfits are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Hyderabad and Goa.
Figo, a former FIFA World Player of the Year, said that it was a new challenge for him and he looked forward to succeeding in it as he had done as a player earlier.
With the legend himself @LuisFigo
- Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) April 5, 2016
What an absolutely wonderful man #Grateful #FanBoyMoment pic.twitter.com/LlOuYryEAu
"It's a new challenge and adventure I have taken up which I hope to make as a success and that's why I said yes to this new project. People love football and cricket out here. India has a huge population, a huge market and it offers a huge opportunity for doing sports events with great success," the 43-year-old said.
"I am doing something positive for the sport and the country and my experience as a football player will hopefully help me in this development. Back in Portugal I have played futsal extensively growing up which instilled quick thining, skills and close control."
Balu Nayar, one of the Indian promoters of the league who was formerly with IMG that developed the highly successful Indian Super League (ISL), said that the event "is made for TV product".
The others who are involved in Premier Futsal are Xavier Britto (chairman), Dinesh Raj, Abhinandan Subramanian and Nityashree Subban.