Kolkata: City-based Football Next Organisation Friday claimed that former Argentina star forward Javier Saviola, Brazilian midfielder Jose Edmilson and Portugal winger Simao Sabrosa will be part of the Barcelona Legends side that is slated to take on Mohun Bagan on September 28.
However, there is an air of uncertainty over the match as an All India Football Federation official said the organisers are yet to take permission from the governing bodies.
“For any match like this one needs to take permission from FIFA, AIFF and the state body (IFA) so as to facilitate Visa process. But they have not yet informed us,” the official said.
The match is also slated on the eve of the Indian Super League opener.
“We had a meeting with Football Next Organisation’s Koushik Moulik a month back and given a green signal. Our only concern was to get a ready pitch so that the ISL can get underway, to which they have agreed,” an official said.
Meanwhile, Moulik at a media conference at the Mohun Bagan released an 18-member squad which also includes the likes of Roger Garcia, Juliano Belletti and Fernando Navarro.
Mohun Bagan, on the other hand, have already declared a 51-man initial squad. A final list of 30 players will be revealed soon.
The current squad consists of several current and former India internationals like IM Vijayan, Bhaichung Bhutia, Deepak Mondal, Surkumar Singh, Sunil Chhetri and many others.
The Barca legends side are scheduled to visit the Barcelona academies in New Delhi and Mumbai as its part of a project that aims to contribute to the globalisation of the Barca brand and its values through the yesteryear legends, as well as to help the players earn money after retirement. (PTI)
