Courtesy: New Straits Times


What interests me the most

3/12/2009

Saheb Singh, 12, Petaling Jaya

IN between school, tuition, homework, taekwondo and chores, there are things to do when I can find time to spare – sports, books and movies. Sports, for me, include, football, chess, tennis, futsal, table-tennis, badminton and hockey. There are also quite a number of good books such as The Inheritance Trilogy, The Inkheart Trilogy, King Tut’s Golden Toile and the list just goes on. As for movies, the ones that interest me now are 2012 and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, just to name a few.

But, what interests me most is futsal. It is a simple game and a modernised version of football. Futsal is a name derived from the Portuguese futebol de salão and the Spanish fútbol de salón, which can be translated as “hall football.” In Madrid in 1985, fútbol de saló was changed officially to futsal.

Futsal is played between two teams of five players, one of whom is the goalkeeper. There are up to seven substitutes per team. Unlike some other forms of indoor football, the game is played on a hard court surface. Futsal is also played with a smaller ball with less bounce than a regulation football. The rules emphasise improvisation, creativity and technique, ball control and passing abilities in small spaces. I enjoy the thrill of showing off some cool moves I have learnt.

Futsal is a game that allows for greater participation, even for those who have a low level of stamina. Often, my friends and I pool our money and head to the court for an hour or two of futsal. The downside to this game is that if a team has fewer than three players in the team, the match is abandoned. The kit is made up of a jersey or shirt with sleeves, shorts, socks, shinguards made out of rubber or plastic and shoes with rubber soles. The goalkeeper is allowed to wear long trousers and a different coloured kit, to distinguish himself from the other players in the team and the referee. Jewelry is not allowed, as are other items that could be dangerous to the players. These days, many boys celebrate their birthdays at futsal courts as they get to feast on food and play a round of futsal as well. I too have been guilty of doing this for my birthdays. In a proper match, it is umpired by a referee who enforces the Laws of the Game, and the first referee is the only one who can abandon the match because of interference from outside the pitch. This referee is also assisted by a second referee. The decisions made by the referees are final, and can only be changed if the referees think it is necessary and play has not restarted. There is also a third referee and a timekeeper. In the event of injury to the referee or second referee, the third referee will replace the second referee. Again, this game can also be played among friends by getting your elder cousin or dad to referee the match.







Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com