IPL Style Football Tournament in India

Eight clubs, 176 players, 72 overseas stars and 10 weeks of packed action - that is how the AIFF's commercial partner IMG-Reliance plans to glamourise Indian football early next year.

The new tournament, scheduled between Jan 18 and March 30, is on the lines of cricket's Indian Premier League (IPL), also managed by IMG. IMG-R have a contract with the AIFF to run the event for 12 years.

Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Kochi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Goa and Guwahati have been shortlisted for the auction.

The bidding for the eight franchises to take part in the tournament will be held in September, while the players' auction -- including the foreign players -- would be held in October.

"All the franchises would be registered as clubs and the corporates who buy the team will be owners for 10 years," the source said.

Each team will have nine foreign, eight Indians and four U-21 players, who will be up for grabs in September. Some of the world's top footballers - David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Michael Owenand Raul Gonzalez - could be seen in action in the tournament.

"The IMG-Reliance tournament starts from January 18 and would run till March 30, and the first match will be played in Mumbai. Most likely it will be in D Y Patil Stadium.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan now plans to move into the more popular football space. He is planning to bid for the Kolkata franchise of the new league promoted by All India Football Federation (AIFF) and IMG-Reliance.





Source-Goal.com