Futsal has a huge potential in India: Virat

Kohli, who is known for being a passionate football lover, has a stake in the Indian Super League club FC Goa and will be one of the stakeholders in Premier Futsal. Rohit Ramesh, owner of Chennai City Football Club in the city’s domestic football circuit, would be owning the Chennai franchise. The league will have eight teams and the game duration will be 50 minutes for each game. The goalkeeper, unlike football, can play in any part of the ground. 

Kohli, the brand ambassador of the league, said futsal is a good opportunity for youngsters to get involved in the sport. “With the lack of quality grounds, futsal creates an opportunity for a fast indoor game. 

As India is a young country (with respect to talent), the game has a huge potential,” he said. Comparing the Indian Super League and Premier Futsal, the Indian Test skipper said futsal is all about raw talent. 

“The ISL is a bigger and a professional league with big names. In futsal, the talent is raw and the ability to showcase the talent on a platform is what the league is trying to create,” Kohli added. Chennai’s franchise owner Rohit said he was delighted to have won the race to own the team. 

“My aim is to rope in a lot of players from Tamil Nadu and Chennai. It is a great chance to show the world that we have quality players from the state in futsal too,” he added. Kohli, who met the President of the league Luis Figo in Bengaluru said he was floored by the legend’s simplicity. “He is one of the biggest names in football. 

When I went to meet him, he was different from what I had pictured keeping in mind his stature. He was down to earth and that is a quality that I would like to imbibe from both Figo and Rahman. They are the examples of the saying – the higher one goes, the humbler they have to be,” he said. The president of the league, Figo, in a video message said: “Futsal is a game where a lot of tricks, skills and speed can be showcased. In Portugal, I played futsal extensively growing up which inculcated quick thinking skills and close control,” Figo said.  Sony Six and Sony ESPN have bagged the broadcasting rights of the league.