Italian World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro is stepping out of retirement to make a comeback in a new Indian league.
The Italian will be part of a six-team competition which will be a joint venture between the Indian Football Association and the Celebrity Management Group (CMG).
Cannavaro, as well as other famous names including Englishmen Robbie Fowler and John Barnes, France's Robert Pires, Argentinians Hernan Crespo and Juan Pablo Sorin, Spaniard Fernando Morientes and Jay Jay Okocha of Nigeria, are all set to be part of the new Indian league.
"I'm getting back on the pitch with the Indian Football Association, West Bengal," Cannavaro tweeted.
The 38-year-old announced his retirement from the game in July because of a persistent knee problem, but it seems the lure of the new competition has caused a change of heart.
The franchises are Kolkata, Barasat, Howrah, Haldia, Durgapur and Siliguri, with each team boasting at least one marquee foreign player and a foreign coach.
Peter Reid and Colin Todd, who both have English Premier League experience, are expected to join Barnes among the coaches on offer.
The plan is for the competition to run for 10 weeks, with matches from Wednesday through to Sunday - usually at night - according to Italian press reports.
Television rights are expected to be sold not only in South-east Asia but also Europe and America.
+5
LFC_Grunners
Kuled
Pippo
Keanoo
Sean
9 posters
Where are they now? The Indian League...
Guest- Guest
http://www.soccerway.com/news/2012/January/15/cannavaro-making-indian-comeback/
Keanoo-
- Posts : 11774
Age : 31
Supports : Manchester United
Money, money, moooooney!
Pippo-
- Formerly known as : Pippo Inzaghi
Posts : 30777
Oh nice
Guest- Guest
I always thought that the Indian league had potential. Huge fanbase, huge population, they only need to get Indians interested in the sport.
Kuled-
- Posts : 55235
Age : 28
Legends of the game are coming back lately, bet he'll score
LFC_Grunners-
- Posts : 3115
Age : 103
Supports : Liverpool
Will watch for Jay Jay Okocha
Guest- Guest
Also I doubt many westerners can handle living in India and in Indian culture, unless they decide to seclude themselves completely from society and are treating this as a paid vacation.
Start.-
- Posts : 5268
Supports : Chelsea FC.
I am watching this.
Crespo, JJ, Pires, Barnes.
Crespo, JJ, Pires, Barnes.
Guest- Guest
I'd hate to live in India, even with the money. Plus the fans are simply masses of retarded temperamental monkeys, for the most part.
Krul-
- Posts : 80
Start. wrote:I am watching this.
Crespo, JJ, Pires, Barnes.
Gonna rip shit up
Guest- Guest
Not to mention all the owners have no clue about football, they just want the money.Eternal Witcher wrote:I'd hate to live in India, even with the money. Plus the fans are simply masses of retarded temperamental monkeys, for the most part.
Wouldn't be surprised if they sack managers left and right there.
Guest- Guest
Lu❣s Suarez wrote:Not to mention all the owners have no clue about football, they just want the money.Eternal Witcher wrote:I'd hate to live in India, even with the money. Plus the fans are simply masses of retarded temperamental monkeys, for the most part.
Wouldn't be surprised if they sack managers left and right there.
If results don't go their way, the likes of Cannavaro should prepared to see people parading burning effigies of him around the street and stoning his house for good measure. That's what happens in cricket anyway. Overall it's not a pleasant environment to live in. Few months at best, then you get sick of the humidity and villagers staring at every white man that moves.
Needed to get that off my chest.
Cadbury-
- Posts : 23487
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Location : Blackpool
Supports : Not Kenny.
I'd rather live in India than Sri Lanka to be honest.
Guest- Guest
Doubt that now the civil war is mostly over, as a tropical holiday destination its quite superior. However I realise you said that deliberately to antagonise.
Cadbury-
- Posts : 23487
Age : 31
Location : Blackpool
Supports : Not Kenny.
I'm sorry.
Carlos Jenkinson-
- Posts : 10964
Lus Suarez wrote:Also I doubt many westerners can handle living in India and in Indian culture, unless they decide to seclude themselves completely from society and are treating this as a paid vacation.
It's very western... Well atleast they're trying to be
Guest- Guest
We had an Indian on this forum, he vanished after the cricket world cup. Then there was the chelsea super fan who was going there.
Guest- Guest
So this is the post-retirement league?
Guest- Guest
Barnes is not up for that.
Looks mega unfit.
Looks mega unfit.
Guest- Guest
Just a Master's League, like you see on Sky Sports in the spring months, all the old pro's playing again.