The Premier Futsal management announced their ambitious plans for the second season of Premier Futsal in Mumbai on Tuesday and revealed that they were in talks with footballing legends Ricardo Kaka and David Beckham to come on board as ‘Marquee’ players for Season 2.
Speaking at a press conference co-founder and CEO, Abhinandan Balasubramanian, said that the support the government, the footballing community, as well as the Futsal world helped in making season 1 of Premier Futsal a successful one.
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He reiterated that the founders were serious about bringing recognition to the league and were looking to make this the biggest Futsal event in the world.
Xavier Britto, the Chairman, enthused about his passion for football and said that Futsal was more suitable for Indian players, with respect to their stamina and skill levels.
Indian players did well in season 1
He said that he was thrilled with the roaring success of the first season of the competition, and spoke about how well the Indian players had kept up with their foreign and more established teammates.
“Football is the most important stepping stone to making a professional football player,” Britto said, also reminding the audience that Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo had all played Futsal at a young age.
He said that India being projected to be the largest youth population in the world by 2020, would be a huge advantage in creating and harnessing new talent.
More teams in season 2
The second season of Premier Futsal will have 8 teams, two more than the last edition, and will be played in 4 cities – Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Kochi. The founders revealed that almost all of the league’s marquee players have already been signed on 3-5 year contracts, so they will be back for the second season.
Ronaldinho, Hernan Crespo, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Michel Salgado and Cafu are some of the stars that participated in the inaugural edition and Falcao – possibly the best player in the history of Futsal, had also graced the tournament.
The management also talked about how they would be looking to bring in players from Asian countries like Kazakhstan and Thailand and were currently scouting the aforementioned countries for the best Futsal talent.
Dispute with AIFF
On the much-publicised spat with the AIFF (All India Football Federation), the management reiterated that it was the AIFF who needed to clarify their stance on the dispute.
Abhinandan said that they were creating opportunities for talented young footballers to pursue their passion and rub shoulders alongside some of the best Futsal players in the world, as well as legendary footballers, and this could only be looked on as a positive step.
The Managing director Dinesh Raj also clarified that they had no problem with the AIFF and would only be happy if some of the players they scouted would go on to represent the country.
Huge interest in India and internationally
Abhinandan also talked about how they had been innovating to make Futsal more television friendly and attempts to package the sport into a product that would reach out to both Indian and Global audiences.
Dinesh added that this effort is now being recognized and they are now being approached by some of the largest corporates for sponsorship deals, and this would only enhance the growth of Futsal and Football in India.
The inaugural edition of Premier Futsal was seen by over 50 million television viewers and was consumed by over 700 million people across almost 100 countries. These numbers are only expected to grow for the second edition, in what is sure to be considered an exciting time for Indian Football.
Goal to promote Indian talent
The founders were keen to stress on their initiative to promote Indian footballing talent, and their plans to invest in infrastructure and facilities for Futsal. Xavier Britto talked about their plans to set up academies, and also revealed that he already had a verbal agreement with Falcao to help oversee some of these academies once they are setup.
As the league continues to stabilize financially, the management appears to have serious plans to harness young Indian talent through several launchpads across the country.
The competition has faced criticism and obstacles in the past, but looks set to power through and attempt to establish itself as a mainstream sport in the country.
