It was a scene right out of a masala movie — legendary former Portuguese footballer Luis Figo, dancing to cricketer (and pretty much one of Chennai’s sons these days) Dwayne Bravo’s singing! Namma ooru was witness to a special night indeed, and DC got access to an exclusive party where these two sporting icons shook a leg together and set their fans into overdrive — at a popular resto-pub in town. How did this duo get to party together in the first place?
Despite the influence of the ISL, football has been thought of mostly as a spectator sport, something that people enjoy watching rather than playing — but that is precisely why outsiders would be amazed to find out how big street football really is in the city!
Grounds all over, especially in North Madras, are buzzing with football enthusiasts who have brilliant skills, but lack the stage on which to showcase their talent. Into this milieu comes ‘Premier Futsal Management Private Limited’, a professionally-managed platform for encouraging unsung soccer players. This exciting initiative is scheduled to kick-off with an interesting five-a-side tournament from July. This is where Luis Figo steps in; as the president of the league! Apart from captaining Portugal, the 43-year-old has represented clubs like Barcelona, Internazionale, and was a part of the famous ‘galactico’ squad of Real Madrid. After launching the league in Mumbai, it was time for him to wow Chennaiites for a bit!
Addressing those present, Figo said, “I feel great to be visiting this lovely city. People here are so warm and welcoming. I hope that this new initiative would be a great platform to spread the beautiful game across the state.” The event turned out to be even more exciting when Bravo, fresh from his World T20 heroics, arrived — and an exuberant Figo joined him in dancing to the famous ‘Champions’ chant sung by the Windies all-rounder! Speaking about the initiative, Bravo told DC, “Football is as exciting as cricket, and I’m sure that just as people embraced us during our CSK times, they will equally love this tournament.”
When we queried Dinesh Raj, the managing director of the league, on how they roped in Figo to be a part of this initiative, he replied excitedly, “When our CEO, Abhinandan Balasubramanian came back from the UK, he had this idea and said that even big football nations like UK and Brazil took futsal seriously. We approached Figo after planning this venture, and to our surprise, he willingly volunteered, saying, ‘You can always bank on me whenever you need advice or suggestions!” Chennai peeps, it’s time to set the ball rolling alright.
And of course, our Chennai party crowd joined in the celebrations! Most noticeable was actress Bindu Madhavi looking stunning in a V-neck, floor-length gown that even send Bravo’s head spinning! Dinesh was also seen sharing a laugh with Sanjana, who upped the glam factor with her attire.
Plenty of selfies and autographs were registered, as the sportsmen indulged their fans too! Vimala and Xavier, Mitchell and Sneha, Kirsten and Vicki were some of the others spotted. Some night out for namma makkal indeed!
