Indian Super League attracts players from four continents

New Delhi: The Indian Super League organisers, IMG-Reliance and Star India, today announced the names of 27 players for the `central international player draft pool` representing countries like Spain, Czech Republic, South Korea, France, Brazil, Colombia, Senegal and Burkina Faso.

Thirty overseas players, including the earlier announcements of three -- Jairo Suarez, Andres Gonzalez (Colombia) and Bojan Djordjic (Sweden) -- have been signed. The `international player draft`, to be held on August 21 in Mumbai will feature 49 overseas players and will witness eight ISL clubs putting their expertise to test in selecting seven international players each for the squad of 22. Of the 30 players, the Indian fans will witness the Spanish style of football with six players from the country, including Jofre Mateu Gonzalez and Victor Herrero Forcada -- both a product of FC Barcelona`s prolific youth system -- plying their trade for the ISL clubs. South Korean duo Do Dong-Hyun and Park Kwang - II will bring the Asian appeal to ISL, while six players will be from Czech Republic. Hero ISL has also roped in the services of five promising young Brazilian players from Atletico Paranaense, namely Erwin Spitzner, Gustavo Marmentini dos Santos, Guilherme Felipe de Castro, Bruno Augusto Pelissari de Lima and Pedro Adriano Veloso Gusmao. The League has closed on the remaining 19 overseas players and is in the process of receiving the contract documents from the respective identified players.