Premier Futsal kicks off today
A galaxy of stars touched down in Chennai on Thursday to pull their weight in the inaugural Premier Futsal that will commence on Friday at the Nehru indoor stadium. Ryan Giggs, Ronaldinho and Hernan Crespo will join Paul Scholes and Michel Salgado as the marquee players in the afore- mentioned tournament.
Brazilian futsal legend Falcao will be the sixth marquee player. The franchises — Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Goa, Bengaluru and Kochi — will be divided into two groups as they battle it out to reach the final in Goa on July 24. Former Manchester United midfielder Scholes signed up for the tournament last month. “I am excited to be in India and it’s great to see my former team- mate Ryan Giggs here. Although a novelty, futsal is fast gaining popularity across the globe. I’m looking forward to meeting the fans across India who I know are some of the most passionate in the world,” said the 41- yearold Scholes.
Fans, who turned up in large numbers, were excited to catch a glimpse of their star players and went berserk when they saw the Brazilian Ronaldinho. Not surprisingly, his name elicited the loudest cheers from a raucous gathering. He was gracious in thanking his fans and said amidst the bedlam that it was an honour to be playing in India. “I started my career playing futsal. It gives me great delight to trace back to my roots,” said the former Barcelona player.
There will be two matches every day and the opener match will see hosts Chennai locking horns with Mumbai followed by Goa taking on Kolkata.
A sporting feast of a unique kind lies in store for all the futsal fans of the country.