NEW DELHI: Portugal football legend Luis Figo has decided to end his association with ‘Premier Futsal’, Press Trust of India reports.
Figo called the five-a-side tournament a “complete failure” and accused the organisers of the competition for not honouring their obligations towards him and other players associated with the venture.
The multi-city competition across India was launched in 2016, with Figo being announced as its president.
“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,” Figo was quoted as saying in the report.
“After two years of intense collaboration, I have decided to leave the project having in mind the complete failure of their representatives 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.”
Figo believed that the organizers had a huge role to play if the venture is to be successful in the long run.
“Premier Futsal has completely lost its path to move forward and to fulfil its obligations towards those who worked and delivered on the project.”
“Nevertheless, I wish to reaffirm my continuing support for the long term development of the game of the futsal,” the former footballer added.
However, Premier Futsal denied Figo’s allegations.
“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 commented on the development.
“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 three young entrepreneurs with a dream to do big things and contribute to the Indian sports ecosystem,” Raj said.
