India's Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Mr. Vijay Goel, has extended his support for Premier Futsal, which announced plans for season two on Thursday at an event in New Delhi. The tournament, presided over by former Real Madrid star Luis Figo, is expected to attract many luminaries from the world of football.
Mr. Vijay Goel tweeted a picture of him standing with Luis Figo, former Manchester United star Ryan Giggs and Futsal legend Falcao and wrote, "With football legends LuisFigo, Ryan Giggs & futsal sensation Falcão who are in India to promote futsal. Would love to extend my support."
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Interestingly, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) had stated earlier in the day that it would not recognise the tournament and advised its member associations not to allow registered players to participate in Premier Futsal.
"All India Football Federation reiterates that the Premier Futsal is not recognised by the AIFF. Futsal, as per the AIFF constitution, is governed by the federation. The Federation is also instructing all its affiliate units not to allow players who are registered with the affiliates to participate in this unauthorised and unofficial Futsal league, said an AIFF release.
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Further, the Indian FA also revealed that it was planning to launch its own Futsal league along with its marketing partner Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL).
While the Indian Government is not expected to exert control over AIFF, it is intriguing and strange to see both entities share polarising views on a tournament which was watched by over 61 million people worldwide.
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