Problems seem to be brewing between Premier Futsal organisers and the Futsal Association of India (FAI), the parent body of the sport in the country, after the latter send a sternly worded notice to the organisers to clear the dues of local players.
In a letter addressed to Dinesh Rai, Managing Director of Premier Futsal Management Limited, FAI secretary general Sunil Purnapatre said the the company has failed to fulfill the terms of agreement between the two parties and haven’t made all the promised payments to the Indian players for the first season.
“Creating an unrest among the players and not paying their basic fees or committed payments, you have actually set a bad example for yourself and in turn also defamed FAI in the process. These players are the backbone of the entire Futsal Ecosystem and by ignoring their pleas and fees will do not good for us and you’re PFL (sic),” said the letter, a copy of which is with The Field.
“For publicity and hype you make an Announcement of Rs 5,00,000/- (Five lac) to the “Best Indian Futsal player” (Mr. Jonathon from Bangalore), but fail to pay his dues and remuneration (sic),” he added.
Premier Futsal features some of the biggest names in international football including Brazilian star Ronaldinho and former Manchester United midfielders Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs. The league is currently in its second season, with the action shifting to Dubai after a round of matches in Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Mumbai had won the league last year, beating Kochi in the final and Jonathan Piers had won the Indian Player of the year award.
Though FAI has officially refused to comment on the issue saying it was their internal matter, it is learnt that the players approached the parent body to resolve the matter.
The FAI letter has also been marked Xavier Britto, Chairman of PFML, former player Luis Figo, who is the president of the league as well as FAI office bearers and all the players involved.
The names of other Indian players who have complained to FAI have not been mentioned, potentially because they are currently playing in the ongoing second season.
Premier Futsal calls itself “the world’s biggest futsal promotions company” on its website, with the league being called “flagship 3-week tournament featuring ex-football superstars, current best futsal players in the world, and home-grown players scouted via a talent hunt.” The website also says that it is “the biggest private sporting events in the world, and is set to launch it’s international editions in 2018.”
This is only one of the several controversies that has plagued Premier Futsal this season. Earlier, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli had parted ways as the brand ambassador after just one season, reportedly due to pressure from the All India Football Federation. The league is not officially recognised by the AIFF and president Praful Patel had called out Kohli for being associated with it in a tweet back in June 2016.
Even former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia was to become the Talent Director of Premier Futsal but backed out within a few hours of a press statement sent to that effect.
The Field approached the Premier Futsal management for a comment but received no response at the time of this article being published.
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