Virat Kohli's Futsal League Red Carded by FIFA Top Official Praful Patel

Virat Kohli's involvement with the Premier Futsal League (PFL) has now rubbed Praful Patel, FIFA vice-president (SAFF region) and All India Football Federation (AIFF) president, the wrong way.

Kohli, co-owner and brand ambassador of Indian Super League team FC Goa, is also the brand ambassador of PFL, a five-a-side franchise-based tournament.

However, Patel in a tweet said that any person involved with the Indian Super League (ISL) cannot be associated with any other league, according to rule books. And the person to which the tweet is directed is pretty much clear.

Any brand Ambassador of an ISL franchise cannot do the same for a league not recognised by #AIFF or #FIFA

- Praful Patel (@praful_patel) 18 June 2016

This comes after the AIFF, of which Patel is president, said it has informed the sports ministry that the Futsal Association of India (FAI) is an unrecognised body and it is considering legal action against it, also asking its affiliated members not to co-operate with the PFL.

The inaugural season was scheduled to be held between July 15 and 24. Futsal is an improvised form of football played with five players per side on a smaller ground, indoor or outdoor.

Portuguese football legend Luis Figo is the president of Premier Futsal and he visited India earlier to promote the game.

Legal action

"The AIFF is the governing body for all forms of football, including futsal, in India and we will be announcing our plans, in relation to futsal, in due course," AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said in a letter addressed to state associations.

"This is to bring to your notice that AIFF is not involved with the proposed Premier Futsal League, the news of launch of which has been making rounds in media in the recent past. The competition is neither sanctioned by AIFF nor is organised under the aegis of the AIFF.

"Further, the organising body - Futsal Association of India (FAI) is not a member or affiliated in any way with the AIFF, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) or FIFA," the letter added.

The secretary also urged the state associations to inform affiliated clubs and the players to stay out of this league proposed by the FAI.

"As members of AIFF, all state associations are to comply with the statutes and regulations of AIFF and their actions should be in compliance with the constitution of AIFF," Das said.