Chennai City gearing up for futsal league

The eight-team league will commence on July 15 and each squad will have seven international players, five Indian players and one marquee player. According to Chennai City Fustal Club’s owner Rohit Ramesh, the league acts as a stepping stone for aspiring footballers and the club’s aim is to target local players for a fair chance. 

“It is no secret that big names like Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo etc started with futsal and went on to become top footballers. We are looking into the same aspect of providing aspiring footballers a chance to get to the big stage using futsal as a platform,” Ramesh added.

The team owner added that since the All India Football Federation does not allow football players to participate in futsal, it leaves the field open for budding players to have a fair chance at getting selected. “We are planning to have one or two local players among the five in the squad. It gives the home-grown players a chance to rub shoulders with the best in the game. 

Added, with international coaches coming on board, it gives a chance for local coaches and support staff to get a first-hand experience of the state-of-the-art techniques and facilities,” he said. The 20 players selected were subjected to a series of tests on skills and fitness. 

“We had coaches and experts coming in from the international futsal management and the selections were done. We hope to wrap up the support staff selection too at the earliest,” Ramesh added. Citing paucity of time, the Chennai City Futsal Club would commence a quality training session soon in Chennai, instead of a regular pre-season training schedule.