After years of ignorance and its refusal to recognise the successful Futsal Premier League, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has finally decided to reinstate the Futsal and beach football committee.
The type of football which is played on hard turfs and small grounds which are mainly indoors, Futsal has generated tremendous popularity in India for the past two years, with the rebellious Futsal Premier League which hosted many footballing greats from across the globe.
According to a report in the Times of India, the AIFF had already appointed former player and current director of Indian football coaches (AIFC) to handle the operations of futsal. “The process for creating a coach-referee education system for Futsal has already been initiated by the footballing body,” reported TOI. A coaches training programme was also held last November in Mumbai.
Nair, who been handed the responsibility for incorporating the Futsal body said that the work has already started and is currently in progress.
“In India, the problem is lack of space. Since futsal is mostly played 5v5 or 6v6, it is a way forward for us to become a footballing superpower. It’s a fast-paced game and excellent ball control is needed since kids anyway don’t play on full-sized grounds, futsal is ideal for their progression,” he said in a talk with TOI.
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The game which is based more on skills and technique rather the usual way football is played has been very popular across the world, especially in South American countries like Brazil and Argentina.
Many football superstars like Neymar and Ronaldinho has credited this style of the game for their success in the traditional version of football. But for Nair, one need not look that far and turn to Asia powerhouse Iran.
“Iran owes most of their success to futsal. They take the game very seriously and it’s the reason why they’ve developed so much. In fact, the only place where you can get an AFC level 3 coaching license in Iran,” he added.
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Henry Menezes, CEO of Western India Football Association (WIFA) also confirmed that new leagues are already being planned by the country’s top-most football body.
“The AIFF understands the importance of futsal and many competitions in the state and national level are being planned. We are focusing a lot of age-group teams and we believe futsal will help to create a wider base as far as the younger age groups are concerned,” said Menezes.