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 in India, it can be expected that this format will 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.
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.
In case, you are still having a tough time understanding, here is Luis Figo and Virat Kohli, explaining in simple words, what futsal actually is:
Where to watch:
The matches will be shown on Sony Six, Sony ESPN and Sony Aath and live-streamed on SonyLiv.
Here’s the complete schedule:
Schedule
Match 1: Chennai 5s vs Mumbai 5s
Date and Time: 15 July, Friday – 7pm IST
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor, Chennai
Match 2: Goa vs Kolkata
Date and Time: 15 July, Friday – 8pm IST
Venue: Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor, Chennai
Match 3: Mumbai 5s vs Kochi 5s
Date and Time: 16 July, Saturday 7pm IST
Venue: Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor, Chennai
Match 4: Kolkata 5s vs Bengaluru 5s
Date and Time: 16 July, Saturday 8pm IST
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor, Chennai
Match 5: Kochi 5s vs Chennai 5s
Date and Time: 17 July, Sunday –7pm IST
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor, Chennai
Match 6: Bengaluru 5s vs Goa 5s
Date and Time: 17 July, Sunday – 8pm IST
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor, Chennai
Match 7: Kolkata 5s vs Goa 5s
Date and Time: 19 July, Tuesday - 7pm IST
Venue: Peddem Sports Complex, Goa
Match 8: Mumbai 5s vs Chennai 5s
Date and Time: 19 July, Tuesday 8pm IST
Venue: Peddem Sports Complex, Goa
Match 9: Bengaluru 5s vs Kolkata 5s
Date and Time: 20 July, Wednesday - 7pm IST
Venue: Peddem Sports Complex, Goa
Match 10: Kochi 5s vs Mumbai 5s
Date and Time: 20 July, Wednesday - 8pm IST
Venue: Peddem Sports Complex, Goa
Match 11: Goa 5s vs Bengaluru 5s
Date and Time: 21 July, Thursday - 7pm IST
Venue: Peddem Sports Complex, Goa
Match 12: Chennai 5s vs Kochi 5s
Date and Time: 21 July, Thursday - 8pm IST
Venue: Peddem Sports Complex, Goa
Semi-Final
Match 13: Group A winner vs Group B runner-up
Date and Time: 23 July, Saturday - 7pm IST
Venue: Peddem Sports Complex, Goa
Match 13: Group A runner-up vs Group B winner
Date and Time: 23 July, Saturday - 8pm IST
Venue: Peddem Sports Complex, Goa
Final:
Match 15: Winner of Match 13 v Winner of Match 14
Date and Time: 24 July, Sunday - 8pm IST
Venue: Peddem Sports Complex, Goa
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