Virat Kohli joins Futsal family as brand ambassador

Mumbai: Star India batsman Virat Kohli has joined the recently-announced Premier Futsal football league as its brand ambassador.

Premier Futsal was launched amid much fanfare last week and Kohli — who has been the face of Indian cricket over the last few years — will now lend his name to Futsal; the shorter 5-a-side variant of soccer.

His announcement as brand ambassador follows the unveiling of soccer legend Luis Figo as Premier Futsal's president last week, marking another major coup for the league as it heads into its inaugural season.

Kohli said, "We all grew up playing 5-a-side soccer. The combination of speed and flamboyance is what attracts so many people across the globe to watch & play the sport. Futsal is a fast and exciting sport.

"Futsallers display a lot of flair, skill and swag on the field, which are all qualities I relate to. I am tremendously excited to be a part of Premier Futsal and motivated to positively contribute to the development of this wonderful new sport in India."

Premier Futsal is set to take place in India from July 15th to July 24th with each game split into two halves of 20 minutes each.

Over 50 International Futsalers, from four Continents and 21 countries are expected to participate.

Xavier Britto, Chairman, Premier Futsal said, "It is our great pleasure to have India's current favorite sportsman as the Brand Ambassador for our League. We feel proud to share a common dream of promoting new sports in India with Virat.

"With him coming on board, we are confident of attracting the youth of India to come see Futsal and take it up as a career eventually. These are really exciting times for us and I am sure this association with Virat will further elevate the standard of Futsal in India."

Expressing concerns over the proposed league, FIFA had shot off a letter to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) last week, saying it was not authorised by the world governing football body.