North East in the mix with Lajong bid
New Delhi: Seeking to revolutionise football in the country, organisers of the Indian Super League will unveil the eight franchises on Sunday, with cricket legends, Bollywood stars and a host of corporates in the fray to own teams.
Organised by IMG Reliance in association with Star India, the league has the backing of All India Football Federation (AIFF), and is likely to see big names such as ex-Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke, former Argentina forward Hernan Crespo and England’s Michael Owen take part, although the tournament is not without controversy.
PTI has learnt that bidders include “two Indian cricket legends, five Bollywood celebrities, three I-League clubs and five corporate entities”.
A consortium led by Shillong Lajong FC is known to have made a bid for a franchise based in Guawahati, as reported in The Shillong Times earlier.
“It remains to be seen who would ultimately be awarded the franchises,” a source close to the league said.
The ISL is being seen as an unrivalled football championship in a country once called a “sleeping giant” by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, and it aims to foster local talent by featuring international stars.
However, the tournament was plagued by vehement opposition from I-League clubs, who felt that the ISL would damage Indian football.
Anticipation around the ISL seems to have been building with the organisers receiving positive response from more than 30 interested parties to its ‘Invitation To Bid’ tender notice. The bids closed on March 27.
It is learnt that around 18-20 bidders have put in their money in ISL either through forming a consortium or individually.
Former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, who is reported to have bid with a consortium having Atletico Madrid in it, has already upped the competition among bidders.
The nine cities/areas in the reckoning are Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune, out of which eight will be shortlisted. (PTI)
