After three days of super exciting matches in the first leg of Premier Futsal in Chennai, the second leg will kick off in Goa after a day’s rest. If the first six matches are anything to go by the remaining of the tournament is surely going to heat it up further.
The League so far
Each of the six teams have played 2 matches each and none of them have been able to take a defining lead in the tournament as all team have an open chance of progressing to the semi final stage. After the six matches Kolkata 5’s and Kochi 5’s lead their respective groups with 4 points each.
The players have sure come to the party and apart from a lone match between Bengaluru and Kolkata which ended in a 1-1 draw all matches have been high scoring. The highlight of the tournament was the match between Goa and Bangalore. After having suffered defeat in the first match against Kolkata 5’s, the Goa 5’s came out all guns blazing against a Bengaluru side led by Paul Scholes. In a battle of two legendary midfielders, it was Ronaldo de Assis Moreira or as we commonly know him, Ronaldinho came on top, scoring 5 goals in the 7-2 win. he completely outclassed his opponents in a display of his class.
The second leg of League
The second leg in Goa will miss the services of Ronaldinho, who will no longer be taking part in the tournament as he has been named as the ambassador of the 2016 Paralympics in Brazil and will be leaving for Brazil for the same. His magic is sure going to be missed but his promise of coming back for the next edition of the tournament will surely calm down the fans.
He is going to be replaced by a two time World Cup winner, former captain of Brazil Cafu. Cafu may not have the flair of Ronaldinho but he surely knows how to win tournaments. Cafu will surely love to add another trophy to his cabinet.
Futsal Premier League’s Future
There was some big news on Monday coming from the President of Premier Futsal, the Portuguese legend and winner of Ballon d’or in 2000 Luis Figo. The Futsal league will be played not once but twice a year and they will be looking to expand the team from the current six to 8 or maybe 12 depending on the logistics. With a possible 2nd edition kicking off as early as January 2017.
The news cannot be more than welcome from the fans, who have been filling the stadiums supporting their teams and favorite players. The statement by Figo also affirms that Futsal is here to stay and will only grow stronger in the years to come even though there were question marks before the start. And with Neymar coming forward to endorse the league, there could not have been a better promotion.