Soccer stars game for Indian vacation with Futsal

It would be an understatement to say that the vocal chords of everyone who were present at the Nehru Stadium on Friday evening were strained at the end of three action-packed hours. While fans got their quota of entertainment, it looked like the futsal players were on a vacation than for a purposeful league. 

The players staying at a popular star hotel in the city, had the time to indulge in spa and gym sessions and not for quality training in preparation for the league. The teams were only unveiled one day before the league started and there was no word of a practice session. 

Argentine Hernan Crespo, after his team’s match on Friday said paucity of time was a factor in their under-preparedness. “I am happy to be here. We have come here to be happy and be funny. We did not have any training sessions with the players. We can get better as the tournament goes on,” said Crespo, after the match against Goa. 

However, the players had the quality time to soak themselves in fun. After landing in Chennai, Ronaldinho was whisked to a five-star resort for a party night and a day before the tournament started, all the marquee players attended a private bash that ended in the wee hours on the match day. Not surprisingly, a tepid display of futsal from Ronaldinho and the other greats was the norm on the opening day. 

According to the organisers, the superstar was down and out with a muscle pull and he couldn’t recover late into Saturday as a media interaction with him was postponed. Sources at the hotel confirmed that the former Barcelona player had an extended spa session on Saturday. What followed for the marquee players was an elaborate lunch of pasta, grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, grill fish and a chef’s special salad in the restaurant.