MUMBAI // Italian World Cup winner Alessandro del Piero was set to be unveiled as the Indian Super League’s latest marquee signing on Thursday as organisers spoke of sparking a football “revolution” in the cricket-mad country.
Reports said Del Piero, 39, had agreed to play for the Delhi Dynamos in the 10-week tournament which begins in October and has been modelled along the lines of cricket’s cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL).
Del Piero’s signing was expected to be confirmed later on Thursday at a news conference called by ISL organisers, who have already persuaded former French star David Trezeguet and ex-England goalkeepr David James to sign up.
Eight city-based teams are due to take part in the tournament which runs from October 12 to December 20. Several of the franchises have tie-ups with European football giants such as the Spanish Primera Liga champions Atletico Madrid who are the co-owners of Atletico Kolkata.
While India are only 150th in the world rankings, football draws big crowds in some parts of the country – particularly the east – and has been dubbed the game’s “sleeping giant” by world governing body Fifa president Sepp Blatter.
The English Premier League draws big TV audiences and team owners are hoping to replicate the success of the IPL, the domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament that attracts some of the biggest names in the game.
Organised by the All India Football Federation, the ISL is being backed by India’s Reliance Industries, which is controlled by the country’s richest man Mukesh Ambani, and by sports management giant IMG.
“The Indian Super League is an initiative that aims to revolutionise football in this country,” Mukesh Ambani’s wife Nita, who chairs the organising committee, told The Times of India in an interview on Thursday.
“We are a nation of billion-plus but today most Indian fans, including my own two sons, only talk of EPL, La Liga or the Arsenals of the world. We are hoping to build a system to nurture talent and make our own national football heroes.
“We all are very excited. However, I must say that these are initial years and we are taking baby steps. The road ahead is long before we take football to its deserving place in Indian sport.”
Recently retired cricket greats, including Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, are among the celebrities who are promoting the tournament while several Bollywood stars are also fronting franchises.
While most attention is on the ageing foreign stars, at least five of the starting line-up for each team must be Indian.
Although some of the country’s top players have agreed deals with ISL teams, national captain Sunil Chhetri is among several India internationals who have so far rejected the chance of joining the league.
Although the eight-month long I-League has suspended matches during the ISL, several owners have spoken out against the new tournament, saying it risked undermining grassroots football.
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