An irate Luis Figo has parted ways with Premier Futsal, citing “complete failure” of the organisers for “breach of obligations” towards the legendary Portuguese footballer and other players involved in the project, reported PTI.
As president of Premier Futsal, Figo had been involved with the multi-city tournament since its first edition in 2016.
“I would like to announce that I am no longer the Honourary President of Premier Futsal, having ceased my relationship with Premier Futsal Management (P) Limited,” legendary former Portugal skipper said in a statement.
“After two years of intense collaboration, I have decided to leave the project having in mind the complete failure of their representatives and and officers to fulfill the agreement and, most important, for their continuous breach of their obligations towards me and other players involved in the project,” he added.
The five-a-side indoor version of football saw a host of international stars come to India to be a part of the two seasons so far. Ronaldinho, Hernan Crespo, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are some of the marquee names to have taken part in the tournament as players.
The former Real Madrid ‘Galactico’, who didn’t actually play in the league but was one of the founder-members, said Premier Futsal has lost its way.
“Premier Futsal has completely lost its path to move forward and to fulfil its obligations towards those who worked and delivered on the project,” Figo said.
“Nevertheless, I wish to reaffirm my continuing support for the long term development of the game of the futsal.”
Problems have been brewing for the tournament as The Field reported in September last year, with the organisers failing to clear ‘promised payments’ of Indian players from the previous edition.
Futsal Association of India (FAI), the parent body of the sport in the country, had sent 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),” the letter had said.
On its part, Premier Futsal sought to put up a defence, saying they were faced with many obstacles.
“We had a few financial issues due to the hostile environment that was created for us to operate under and monetization became difficult because of the various hurdles,” Premier Futsal MD Dinesh Raj said in a statement.
“Figo is aware of all of the above and the reasons behind it, and he’s been kept informed completely. He’s been engaged for over two years as president and we’ve honoured all obligations including his quarterly salaries during this period except the final payment delay.”
“We respect his decision and thank him for the support over the 2+ years where he stood by 3 young entrepreneurs with a dream to do big things and contribute to the Indian sports ecosystem,” read the statement.