Futsal is a format of football that is different mainly in its duration, which is of 40 minutes only. Coming to that, the shorter duration calls for a more aggressive game, with maximum player engagement and some brilliant attacking football. Another important distinction that sets futsal apart is the 5-a-side system, which allows a total of only 10 players at a time in the game.
Futsal is a format of football that is different mainly in its duration, which is of 40 minutes only. Coming to that, the shorter duration calls for a more aggressive game, with maximum player engagement and some brilliant attacking football. Another important distinction that sets futsal apart is the 5-a-side system, which allows a total of only 10 players at a time in the game.
With Premier Futsal League gearing up to kick off on July 15, this format of football is expected to get a major boost and more exposure, putting it in the spotlight that it deserves. Some of the top futsal players would be showcased in the Indian version. The players who have been signed in are retired football players Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Ronaldinho, Michel Salgado and Hernan Crespo are likely to join Paul Scholes and Deco, besides the latest entrants, Jairo Manoel dos Santos, Francisco Ruiz Serrato, Leandro Simi, Gabriel da silva Dias and Luis Amado Tarodo. The 'Pele of futsal', Alessandro Rosa Vieira is also in the the list of players.
40 Indian players will be allowed to compete in the tournament, while 50 international futsalers are expected to participate from across 4 continents and 21 countries. Of the the thousands that apply in India, 25 will be sent to the boot camps from each city, where only 5 bests will get selected to represent their city, with a total of 40 players from India moving ahead to the main event.
Of course, there will be only 8 city division with 5 players each, namely - Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Kochi, Goa and Hyderabad. As you can understand, the lesser range in futsal would evidently mean neck-break competition, with only the bests qualifying to play on. Hoping for a glorious future for the sport in India, the Futsal Association of India has signed an agreement with the United States Futsal Federation (USFF) for the development of the sport and talent exchange programs.
Here is the full schedule of Premier Futsal -
Friday, 15th July, 2016 - Chennai vs Mumbai, Goa vs Kolkata
Saturday, 16th July, 2016 - Mumbai vs Kochi, Kolkata vs Bangalore
Sunday, 17th July, 2016 - Kochi vs Chennai, Bangalore vs Goa
Tuesday, 19th July, 2016 - Kolkata vs Goa, Mumbai vs Chennai
Wednesday, 20th July, 2016 - Bangalore vs Kolkata, Kochi vs Mumbai
Thursday, 21st July, 2016 - Goa vs Bangalore, Chennai vs Kochi
Friday, 23rd July, 2016 - Group A Winner vs Group B Runner-up, Group A Runner-up vs Group B
Saturday 24th July, 2016 - Closing Ceremony, Final
Premier Futsal has also announced their contract with the 4 world-class futsal coaches, Max Bellarte, Sergio Tabbia, Octavio Gomes De Oliveira Junior and Ney Pereira. Former football legend Luis Figo, the President of Premier Futsal, is working closely with the Indian cricketer and avid football fan Virat Kohli to impress upon people the importance of this new format. If this format of football strikes chord with the Indian football fans it has the potential of turning into as massive an enterprise as the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 cricket.
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