Former Barcelona & Chelsea Midfielder ‘Deco’ Commits to Play in Premier Futsal

Premier Futsal, the world’s first-ever multi-national Futsal League, has signed former Portugal national and multiple Champions’ League winner Anderson Luís de Souza, better known as ‘Deco’, to play in its inaugural season.

Deco, whose signing makes him the first marquee football player to confirm his participation in the league, has been signed for three seasons. The franchise he will play for will be decided during the player draft.

Anderson Luís de Souza ‘Deco’ said, “I’m really looking forward to playing in the inaugural season of Premier Futsal. I was born in Brazil and grew up playing Futsal on the streets. It’s where I picked up the skills that laid the foundation for my success on the international stage and served me well throughout my career. So in a sense I’m returning to my roots. I can’t wait to see how I match up against seasoned futsallers who have dedicated their entire career to the shorter, more intense format of the game.”

Deco is one of very few players to have won the UEFA Champions League with two clubs – FC Porto and Barcelona. The Brazil-born attacking midfielder, who played in Portuguese colours internationally, has won numerous accolades – including UEFA Club Footballer of the Year honours – in a decorated international career spanning more than a decade.

Premier Futsal President Luis Figo said, “It gives me a great amount of joy to welcome Deco to Premier Futsal. We go back a long way, having shared the dressing room for Portugal during our playing careers. He has great talent, skill and ability as is evident from his storied international career which, I am confident, will add a whole lot to the quality of play in Premier Futsal’s inaugural year. We are all extremely delighted to have him.”

Premier Futsal, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Abhinandan Balasubramanian  said, “Signing a player of Deco’s global standing is a major coup for us as we head into our inaugural season. Following on from Falcao’s singing, Deco’s participation in Premier Futsal adds further gloss and sizzle to the league. It’s a major vote of confidence for us that players of Deco’s calibre are committing to multi-year deals to play in the league and brings us that one step closer to realising our vision for this wonderful sport.”

Premier Futsal, promoted by Mr. Xavier Britto of Indev Group, is the world’s first-ever multi-national Futsal league and promises to bring the legends of football and futsal together for the first time. Led by the ‘Pele of Futsal’, Alessandro Rosa Vieira, fondly known as Falcão, the league will feature over 50 International Futsallers from four continents and 21 countries. Each franchise will be assigned a marquee international football player, seven international and five Indian Futsallers through a player draft scheduled later this month.

The league will kick-off July 15, 2016, and will be telecast live and exclusive on Sony SIX, SONY ESPN and Sony AATH. Matches will also be available to live stream on Sony LIV.

About Premier Futsal Management Pvt Ltd

Premier Futsal Management Pvt Ltd is the founding and controlling entity of Premier Futsal, a pioneering franchise-model international Futsal league based in India. The company comprises of Luis Figo, Former World Soccer player of the year and Real Madrid FC legend, as President, Mr. Xavier Britto of Indev Logistics as primary Investor & Chairman, Mr. Dinesh Raj as Managing Director, Mr. Abhinandan Balasubramanian as CEO & Director, Ms. Nithyashree Subban as Finance Director and Mr. Balu Nayar as Executive Director.