Cannavaro, Crespo to star in new India soccer league
ROME — Italian World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro is to step out of retirement and make a comeback in India as part of a new competition aimed at kick-starting football interest in the cricketobsessed country.
Cannavaro revealed the news on his Twitter account saying: "I'm getting back on the pitch with the Indian Football Association, West Bengal."
It is only six months since the 38-year-old announced his retirement from the game due to a nagging knee injury.
He had played the final year of his career in Dubai with Al Ahli having left Italy following the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
He is to be part of the Indian league, a six-team competition due to be run by the Indian Football Association and Celebrity Management Group (CMG).
Other famous names involved include Englishmen Robbie Fowler and John Barnes, France's Robert Pires, Argentine Hernan Crespo, Spaniard Fernando Morientes and Jay Jay Okocha of Nigeria.
Each of the six franchises — Kolkata, Barasat, Howrah, Haldia, Durgapur and Siliguri — must have at least a famous foreign player and coach.
Argentine Juan Pablo Sorin is another player to be involved while Brits Peter Reid and Colin Todd — who both have English Premier League experience — join Barnes amongst the coaches.
Each team will be allowed to sign up to four foreign players while the rest will be made up of Indians.
The league will run for 10 weeks with matches played from Wednesdays through to Sundays, mostly at night, according to Italian press.
CMG have previous experience organising major sporting events in India having marketed a historic tour that saw Diego Maradona visit the country while they are also involved in AFC Champions League matches and were the marketing partner for Asia Cup Cricket in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2000.
The ageing footballers could earn up to $600,000 for playing in the seven-week tournament which is being run along the lines of cricket's Indian Premier League and is pencilled in for a February 25 start.
Once the team owners for the Premier League Soccer (PLS) tournament are finalised later this month, each of the players will be auctioned off, with the bidding process expected between February 10 and 12.
"The idea is to have one icon player and a top coach with each of the six teams," said CMG'S Bhaswar Goswami.
"Television coverage will ensure this tournament will attract viewers across India even though it will be played in West Bengal. We are working out the details."
Teams will play each other twice on a home and away basis, followed by the semifinals and the final, the organisers said.
Team owners will be allowed to spend a maximum of $2.5 million on buying players, who stand to earn between $100,000 and $600,000 in the first season, which will last seven weeks.