If the ongoing talks see the light of day, then football stalwarts David Beckham and Ricardo Kaka could be seen playing football's T20 version — futsal as marquee players in Premier Futsal's second season
David Beckham and Kaka
Indian football fans have something exciting to look forward to in 2017. If the ongoing talks see the light of day, then football stalwarts David Beckham and Ricardo Kaka could be seen playing football's T20 version — futsal as marquee players in Premier Futsal's second season that will be played between January and March next year.
David Beckham and Kaka
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"The response has been positive. Beckham and Kaka are keen to play futsal in India. They are not coming just because of the money. It's our vision they are interested in. We can't just bring them with money," Dinesh Raj, Managing Director and Co-Founder Premier Futsal told reporters yesterday.
If the organisers do manage to convince Beckham then the veteran Englishman would follow in the same footsteps of his former Manchester United teammates Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, who plied their trade at Bengaluru 5's and Mumbai 5's respectively in the inaugural edition.
The first season was decorated with other stars such as Ronaldinho, Falcao, Michel Salgado and Hernan Crespo dazzling fans just with their mere presence.
CEO and Co-Founder Abhinandan Balasubramanian pointed out that the marquee players from last season will be retained as they have a three to five years' contract. Six international players will feature in each team, with the final possibly at an international destination.
The organisers have made their intentions to host the league bi-annually from next year. The number of teams also has increased by two, taking the total to eight franchises, where matches will be spread across four cities — Bangalore, Mumbai, Cochi and Calcutta.
"As for Goa and Chennai we are looking at other marketing solutions like fan parks to get in audience and build momentum in the lead up to the league and also during the league in those cities," Balasubramanian said.