Mumbai: The IPL-style football league to be held early next year will be christened as the Indian Super League even as the organisers IMG-Reliance disclosed the signing of four more big international stars.
Former Trinidad and Tobago and Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke, former Sweden captain and Arsenal star Fredrik Ljungberg, ex-Argentina striker Hernan Crespo and former France and Arsenal winger Robert Pires have confirmed their availability.
“Crespo, Yorke, Ljunberg and Pires have confirmed their availability,” an IMG-Reliance source told PTI.
With their signings, the names of five marquee players out of eight have been known and the remaining three are expected to be named in a few days.
IMG-Reliance has also signed up former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and 1998 World Cup winner France international Marcel Desailly as two of the eight managers for the tournament.
The signing of these big names, who have, for the most part, retired from football, is not guaranteed that they will shine in India.
Ljungberg, for example, last played for a Japanese club and was goalless in eight appearances.
The organisers also said that they could be looking for a window for the second season next year itself.
“The ‘Indian Super League’ will feature eight city specific teams to start with and will tap the burgeoning interest among the country’s young population that’s increasingly seen taking interest in the sport. The League will kick-off in January 2014 and will run through March 2014, with plans for a second window in the same year,” said a press release. (PTI)