IMG-Reliance, marketing partners of the All India Football Federation, has signed four more domestic players for its proposed IPL-style league early next year, it was learnt on Wednesday.
|Last Updated: Aug 07, 2013, 04:58 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Mumbai: IMG-Reliance, marketing partners of the All India Football Federation, has signed four more domestic players for its proposed IPL-style league early next year, it was learnt on Wednesday.
"Four more players have signed with us, but we cannot disclose their names as yet. We need only four more to complete our target of 64 Indian professionals for the tournament," a source told PTI today.
The January 18-March 30 tournament would feature eight city-based franchise outfits and has got the go-ahead from AIFF on August 2.
The break-up of each team would be eight Indian professionals, 10 foreigners -- including one marquee player, and four Under-23 players from the franchise`s catchment areas, making it a squad of 22.
The marquee player pool would be about 12-15 players.
IMG-Reliance has already signed 36 domestic players and 20 players of AIFF developmental side Pailan Arrows will also be part of the league.
"The international players would be signed up for four months and it would be a mix of players who are free agents, recently retired and those who are coming on transfer or loan," according to the source.
The league has faced opposition from I-League clubs who have refused to either induct any IMG-R signee on loan or loan away any player from their ranks to play in the tournament.
The bidding for the eight franchises to take part in the tournament will be held next month, while the players` auction - including the foreign players - would be held in October.
Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Kochi, Goa, Delhi and Bangalore will be the eight cities where the franchises would be based, while Guwahati and Hyderabad have been kept in the reserves.
All the franchises would be registered as clubs and the corporates who buy the team will be owners for 10 years.
The games would be played like in a normal match, over 90 minutes. The four teams that finish on top, will go to the semi-final stage, just as it happens in IPL.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.