'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Twenty World Cup footballers — including stars like Robert Pires, Hitoshi Nakata and Jay Jay Okocha – are likely to feature in a new IPL-style football tournament in West Bengal, in what is probably Indian football’s biggest coup.
Premier Soccer League (PSL) will see six franchises bidding for 20 international stars and several Indian players. It is believed that most of the players have already been contacted. One Italian superstar is likely to confirm his participation. Coaches invited to be part of the action include former Arsenal legend Tony Adams. Rumour has it that Zinedine Zidane will be present at the inauguration. Dates have not been fixed yet, but the bidding will be completed before 15th January, and the tournament will begin mid-February and will be held over seven weeks.
Kolkata, Barasat, Durgapur, Haldia and Shiliguri will host the matches. Several Bollywood superstars, cricketers and corporate giants have apparently expressed interest in buying teams.
Robbie 'God' Fowler
Players will be divided into various categories for the bidding process. Pires, Okocha and Nakata will be categorised as ‘icons’. There will be a separate category for under-19 and under-17 players. The remaining category will consist of other star players like Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler, Portugal’s Maniche and Italy’s Fabio Firmani. Coaches will also be part of the bidding, and include Tony Adams, John Barnes (who played against Diego Maradona’s Argentina in the 1986 World Cup), and Nigeria’s Shia Shia. Indian players who aren’t playing this season’s I-League, such as Renedy Singh and Dipbendu Biswas, will feature in the PLS.
The concept is bound to increase the popularity of football in West Bengal and beyond. Local players will get a tremendous, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a part of something that wasn’t even conceivable a few months ago.
And, in case you’re wondering, there will be cheergirls for every match!
