Chennai: A galaxy of stars touched down in Chennai on Thursday to pull their weight in the inaugural Premier Futsal that will commence on Friday at the Nehru indoor stadium. Ryan Giggs, Ronaldinho and Hernan Crespo will join Paul Scholes and Michel Salgado as the marquee players in the afore-mentioned tournament. Brazilian futsal legend Falcao will be the sixth marquee player. The franchises — Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Goa, Bengaluru and Kochi — will be divided into two groups as they battle it out to reach the final in Goa on July 24. Former Manchester United midfielder Scholes signed up for the tournament last month. “I am excited to be in India and it’s great to see my former team-mate Ryan Giggs here. Although a novelty, futsal is fast gaining popularity across the globe. I’m looking forward to meeting the fans across India who I know are some of the most passionate in the world,” said the 41-year-old Scholes. There will be two matches every day and the opener match will see hosts Chennai locking horns with Mumbai followed by Goa taking on Kolkata.
