Retired cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly have been named as celebrity figureheads of teams in the new Indian Super League football championship.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has named the eight teams that will participate in a league run in collaboration with stakeholders from India’s Reliance Industries, promoters IMG World and broadcaster Star India.
Tendulkar, India’s favourite cricketing son, will be involved alongside investment firm PVP Ventures in the Kochi franchise, while former India captain Ganguly has a role with Kolkata. Spanish club Atletico Madrid are also involved in the Kolkata project, the tournament organisers said in a statement.
IMG announced the ISL competition will begin this year and run “between September and November”, calling it “an unrivalled footballing event” aimed at driving “a revolution in the sport” and making India a major international player in football.
The franchises selected were Bengaluru, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune. The backers of each paid around 25 million US dollars (£15mllion) for a 10-year franchise.
Cricket’s Indian Premier League has attracted many of the world’s leading players, although it remains to be seen how the football equivalent can draw personalities of similar status, given the ISL falls in the early months of the season in Europe’s top leagues.
AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said: “I have always believed Indian football needs an innovative and experimental format like Indian Super League to bring the fans back to the stadiums.
“With the kind of owners and organizers that we have behind Indian Super League, we have the perfect recipe to a successful professional tournament. I wish the Indian Super League all the best.”
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