IFA, Celebrity Management plan new football league

MUMBAI: Celebrity Management Group (CMG) has done a 30-year deal with the Indian Football Association (IFA) for a football league which kicks off next month.

A franchise tender has been floated.

There will be six franchises located in Kolkata, Barasat, Howrah, Haldia, Durgapur and Siliguri. CMG executive director Bhaswar Goswami said that the league has been modelled after the Major League Soccer and the IPL.

For the first season, the spending cap is $2.5 million. Companies have to have an annual turnover of at least $10 million to bid.

Ageing stars including Robert Pires, Fabio Cannavaro, former Bolton midfielder Jay-Jay Okocha and Argentina internationals Hernan Crespo and Juan Pablo Sorin were unveiled.