Courtesy: Times Of India


Futsal to make debut in India

5 Nov 2008

BANGALORE: Futsal, FIFA's official indoor soccer game, is all set to make its debut in India with matches planned across five cities.

The league matches of the tournament named McDowell's Futsal Friendzy, promoted by Vijay Mallya-owned United Spirits Limited, will be played at Kochi and Jaipur on November 23, Bangalore on November 30 and Mumbai and Kolkata on December 13.

The final would be held at the nation's 'Mecca of football', Kolkata in the third week of December, it was announced on Wednesday.

The promoters of the tournament said they are eyeing to position Futsal as the football version of cricket's Indian Premier League (IPL).

"What IPL has done to cricket, it (Futsal) will do to football," Business Head of USL, Mathew Xavier, said.

Futsal is a fast-paced and shorter version of football, played between teams consisting of five players each, including a goalkeeper, on a smaller area and a smaller size ball that bounces less than the regular football.

The duration of the match is 40 minutes with two halves of 20 minutes each.

The highlight of the event would be the participation of the Mohun Bagan team and stars such as Baichung Bhutia and Jose Barreto.

"Futsal is a very popular sport internationally and attracts a significant interest and participation from all quarters. The launch of McDowell's Futsal Friendzy is a great step forward in popularising this unique format in India and comes in at the right time when the football fever is at its peak," said Xavier adding 500 to 600 teams are expected to take part in the event.





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