for more information please join us on any of our social media and feel free to write or send us anything on email with albills.com@gmail.com, or chat us up on whatsapp with (+234) 08063465456, for Facebook users join our group with - so you've heard or like our page - billstips
CHANNEL PIN: C0031D251
The Premier Futsal kicks off on July 15 in India at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. With a host of footballing legends taking part, there is an understandable buzz around the competition.
Luis Figo is the face of the tournament but he is not the only former player of note to take part. Former Manchester United duo Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are involved in the competition, as is Brazilian icon Ronaldinho.
Sportsmail has put together a guide to the new tournament...
Luis Figo is the president of Premier Futsal and the face of the competition which starts on July 15
Falcao (left), who will take part in Premier Futsal, playing the sport at the FIFA Futsal World Cup
The sport is played on a smaller pitch with a size four football that is weighted to suit the game
How did Premier Futsal come about and whose idea was it?
The concept of creating a Futsal league followed on from successful examples elsewhere in the world. Kuwait's annual Abdullah Al-Roudhan tournament was a particular inspiration to the creators of Premier Futsal.
Premier Futsal itself came about through a combination of Abhinandan Balasubramanian, a Warwick School of Business graduate, Xavier Britto, of Indev Logistics and Indian Premier League co-creator Balu Nayar. Nayar had a big part to play in the concept, given his sporting background, while Kohli has openly discussed the 'sustainable model' they have developed. Luis Figo, a former candidate to run FIFA, also came on board as the president of the organisation.
Manchester United icon Ryan Giggs will play for Mumbai in the Premier Futsal league in India
WHICH PREMIER FUTSAL TEAMS HAVE WHICH LEGENDS?
Chennai - Falcao
Mumbai - Ryan Giggs
Kolkota - Hernan Crespo
Goa - Ronaldinho
Bangalore - Paul Scholes
Kochi - Michel Salgado
Which famous players will be playing again?
Figo is not the only legend to be taking part in the upcoming competition. Each team has a marquee player.
Scholes and Giggs will be pulling on football shirts and getting involved in the action again, playing for Bangalore and Mumbai respectively. Former Chelsea striker Hernan Crespo, Brazilian legend Ronaldinho and ex-Real Madrid defender Michel Salgado will also be playing.
It will be interesting to see how footballers adapt compared to Futsal icon Falcao, who is not to be confused with the former Chelsea and Manchester United striker. The 39-year-old retired from the sport in 2015 after a spell with Vasco de Gama but has joined other teams in the past to take part in one-off competitions. Falcao will play for Chennai.
Giggs will be joined in the competition by former United team-mate Paul Scholes, who will play for Bangalore
Which fixtures are worth keeping an eye out for?
There is some bad news for any Manchester United fan wanting to see two of their club legends face each other. Giggs and Scholes's teams are in two different groups and are not guaranteed to face one another. They could meet in the semi-finals on July 23 if they both advance in the right positions in Group A and Group B, or in the final the day after if they get that far.
All fixtures take place over a nine day period between July 15 and July 24. Scholes could be looking to gain revenge for the 2002 World Cup when his Bangalore side take on Ronaldinho's Goa on July 17 and July 21. It will also be interesting to see how Salgado defends against Giggs when they match up on July 16 and July 20.
Ronaldinho (left) will play for Goa and faces off against Scholes in two games on July 17 and July 21
How have the teams been put together?
The marquee players are designed to 'play the role of advocates and also help bring the masses' according to Abhinandan Balasubramanian.
However, there are also around 40 current international futsal players signed to the league, and the belief within the management team is that it will be those futsal players who eventually get people to keep watching once the initial attraction of seeing the legends has passed.
Each team will have 12 players for each game, with five on the field and an unlimited number of substitutions allowed on the fly.
Former Chelsea, Inter Milan and AC Milan striker Hernan Crespo will line up for Kolkota in the tournament
Michel Salgado, formerly of Real Madrid and Blackburn Rovers, is also involved and will play for Kochi
How does Futsal work?
Futsal is relatively similar to football with some variations. The pitches are smaller, as are the balls which are slightly more weighted. Each half lasts 20 minutes, but unlike football the clock is stopped whenever there is a dead ball.
Some obvious variations include the fact that free-kicks have to be taken within six seconds, a 10 metre penalty kick is given for six or more fouls in a half and that a goalkeeper cannot be passed the ball back once releasing the ball until it goes out of play or an opponent touches it.
How does the competition work?
The six teams have been divided into two groups. Each team plays every member of their group twice over a seven day period. The winners and the runners up of each group progress to a semi-final, with the winner of Group A playing the runner-up of Group B and vice-versa.
Futsal legend Falcao (left), not to be confused with the former Chelsea striker, is a part of the Chennai side