Courtesy: www.thestatesman.net

Time for futsal

KOLKATA, March 30. — While football lovers in the country are engrossed in the ongoing National Football League, come April, the city will play host to India’s first ever futsal championship held under the auspices of the Indian Football Association.
The exciting version of the game will see around 350 teams vying for the honours, as participants from across 19 districts in West Bengal and 45 Paras in the city get a chance to take on the likes of heavyweights Baichung Bhutia, Beto, Jeremiah among others. The event, which gets under way on 16 April, with the finals slated for 29 May, will feature the six top teams from the Super Division League, apart from 304 teams from the districts and the selected Para teams.
“It is a great form of soccer. I have the honour of being the face of this tournament. I will give my best at this competition, although this is not the kind of football we are used to in India,” Bhutia said.

What’s that?

Recognised by the Fifa, futsal is a compact version of football, played indoors, that features five players per side, with every match spanning 40 minutes. The origin of futsal can be traced back to Montevideo, in Uruguay, way back in 1930. With Brazil as the stronghold of world futsal, over 12 million players across 100 nations today play this game. Futsal is very exciting for the spectators. On an average, eight goals are scored in every match.