India cricket hotshot Virat Kohli has been announced as the brand ambassador of the first-of-its-kind Premier Futsal league in India, scheduled for later this year. Portuguese legend Luis Figo announced the launch of the league in India last week.
Players from across 21 countries are slated to take part in the event, scheduled to begin July 15. There will be eight teams representing Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Hyderabad and Goa in the league. Three international players, one international marquee soccer player and one Indian player will comprise the five-member teams.
Kohli, who is expected to take his impressive ICC World T20 2016 form to the IPL 2016 and set the cricket league on fire with a display of his brand of cricket, has lent his support to the Futsal league and added that he also sports certain qualities the futsal players have — flair, skill and swag.
"We all grew up playing five-a-side soccer," Kolhi told to the Press Trust of India. "The combination of speed and flamboyance is what attracts so many people across the globe to watch and play the sport. Futsal is a fast and exciting sport.
"Futsallers display a lot of flair, skill and swag on the field, which are all qualities I relate to. I am tremendously excited to be a part of Premier Futsal and motivated to positively contribute to the development of this wonderful new sport in India."
The event, although expected to bring in the hysteria produced by the Indian Premier League, the Indian Super League and the Pro Kabaddi League, got into a bit of a controversy right at the start as world football governing body FIFA refused to recognise it.
FIFA wrote a letter to the AIFF (All India Football Federation) stating that the Premier Futsal league is not authorised by them.
