It is not just the Indian Super League (ISL) that is bringing legendary football players of the past to India. Another outlet is the Premier Futsal. Portuguese legend Luis Figo is the president of this private and semi professional league, which is bringing more glamorous names to Indian cities. The second season is set to be broadcast live on Sony network, across 72 countries. The 2006 World Cup star Ronaldinho, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Deko, Hernan Crespo and Michele Selgado will be on view in the six-team franchise based Premier Futsal Season 2.
The league matches will be played in Mumbai and Bangalore. The semi finals and finals set to be played in the UAE at the world class indoor stadium Dubai Sports City. The matches will be held in India from September 15 to September 24. There are 13 match days and 25 matches. The action will move to Dubai on September 26 with the grand finale on October 1, 2017.
Bollywood celebrities Tiger Shroff, Rana Daggubati and Arya add glamour to the India’s biggest indoor festival of sports. In Mumbai, the matches are to be held at the Dome, the same venue, where Vijender Singh won his bout against his Chinese challenger on August 5, 2017.
Futsal is a variation of football that is action packed and fast-paced. Each team has five players a side. Matches are of 40 minutes duration, with each half of 20 minutes. Skillful players such as Giggs and Ronaldinho excel in such a format in which close control and improvisation are valuable. Paul Scholes, noted for his accurate passing and clever link up play, should also excel.
The advertising blitz is massive and there are full page advertisements in many newspapers. At present, the Premier Futsal is getting more media attention than the U-17 World Cup to be staged next month. Not surprising as many in India are more infatuated by stars than the game. So, typically, the focus is on foreign stars and local players have been snubbed. Unlike last season, this year the local futsal players have been quite vocal about shabby treatment.
Krystal Mumbai, the franchise for which Ryan Giggs is playing claims to have bought local talent from Mumbai and nearby areas. However, Anthony Machado, who represented India in the five-a-side World Cup in China, was bitter about the selection process, in which each local player had to shell out Rs. 1,000 for registration. He said the whole procedure was fake. Players were short-listed for a physical test but were not properly informed. In some cases, even their phone numbers were not noted down.
Established internationals like Daniel Michael Fernandez were dropped and lesser known players were chosen. Both Machado and Fernandez think that influence led to the selection of players.
The local players' grouse is that this is just a corporate league and is doing little to help local players to plough back income into making Futsal popular in India.
Krystal Mumbai is the reigning champions, but Delhi Dragons with Brazilian legend Ronaldinho as captain will be strong contenders for the title. Ronaldinho played a lot of Futsal in his youth and is relishing the new challenge. All the foreign stars are excited about playing before appreciative fans in India.