THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ‘Futsal’, a mini version of football, has been creating ripples across the world. Though late, sensing the viability of the new avatar of the game in providing redemption to the parent game, the All-India Football Federation is all set to impart training to coaches from various parts of the country on the game, which is radical in its format and playing rules.The level-1 training camp for the coaches will begin at Kariavattom LNCPE Stadium on Wednesday. Former Kuwait national coach and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) elite panel instructor Eisa Saadoun will be the chief instructor at the camp. Seventeen trainers, including five Keralites, will take part in the camp, which will conclude on January 3.Futsal differs from normal soccer on various counts, including the size of the ball used. The match is played in indoor stadiums, usually under floodlights. The dimension of the playing turf is 42 x 25 metres and may vary in different countries. Unlike the parent game, only five players can hit the ground for a team at a single time.But as much as seven substitutions can be made randomly. This ‘flying substitution’ method enables the teams to rope in fresh legs at any point of time without interrupting the clock.The match is split into two halves, each lasting 20 minutes, with a 15-minute interval in between. Gabriel Joseph, Director of Coaching, All- India Football Federation, told City Express that the soccer package is meant to revive the game from grass-roots. ”In Brazil and Argentina, most of the national players evolved after playing the five-a-side games. It helps to cultivate technique, ball control and individual skills in players. The pitch is relatively small, making the players adapt to heavy defence in the normal game. We are seriously planning to make this version of game popular in the country. Coaching the coaches is the first step forward,’’ he said.P K Rajeev, football coach with the Kerala Sports Council and one of the two trainers who got trained in futsal, felt that the shorter version will encourage players to go for a fast ball game. ”Single-touch, defence- penetrating ball skills and clinical finishing. That’s what futsal is all about,” he said.But the organisers will have to sweat a lot to convince the football buffs about the intention of holding such an event, when the State Football Association is pursuing its ban on the sevens game, which is another variant of the classical genre.
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