Project of the Indian PLS so far without Slovaks

The hopes of centre-back IGOR HRABÁČ had to give way to the South Korean invasion

We have already written in our daily about the newly created project of the Indian Premier League Soccer (PLS), a competition whose organizational structures were modeled on the overseas NHL and NBA. Among those who had a chance to take part was 28-year-old Slovak centre-back Igor Hrabáč, most recently a player of DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda. PLS was to feature half a dozen clubs – Kolkata, Howrah, Barasat, Durgapur, Haldia, and Siliguri – all from West Bengal, India. They were awaiting a draft where they could choose from interesting names. The similarity with the NHL or NBA, however, ended there, as in reality the selection took the form of an auction: whoever paid more for a particular player, got him.

The license holders of PLS, Celebrity Management Group (CMG), divided the players into several categories. The biggest attraction were the so-called icons, football legends. The list of these players changed significantly compared to what was initially announced. Of the original names, Robert Pires (France), Jay Jay Okocha (Nigeria), and Juan Pablo Sorin (Argentina) remained, while Sergio Conceicao (Portugal) and Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan) dropped out. Their “replacements” were more than adequate, as the draft featured 2006 World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro, Argentine striker Hernan Crespo, and English goalscorer Robbie Fowler. Another category consisted of twenty players, mostly Latin Americans, but also several Europeans – among them one Slovak, Igor Hrabáč. Only the cards were reshuffled differently. “There were shifts not only in the participating names and the competition schedule, which will now start later in March, but also in the number of players in the draft, likely as a result of new sponsors entering the project,” Hrabáč’s agent Jozef Tokos told us yesterday.

A rather unexpected twist was the influx of South Koreans, who created a separate platform. “They entered outside of the draft. Instead of six clubs, only five took part in the selection. The situation essentially crystallized so that only ten spots remained for players from the rest of the world,” added Tokos. As for the club that did not participate this time – Haldia – the promoters are currently looking for an owner. Reportedly, there is interest, the club should eventually join the competition, and it is certain that Argentine Sorin will play there.

The original half dozen clubs also had a draft of coaches, featuring names such as John Barnes, Tony Adams, Icelandic manager Teitur Thordarson, Bolivian Marco Etcheverry, and Nigeria’s former coach Samson Siasia. Changes occurred here as well, with Fernando Couto appearing among the coaches, although he had never coached before and had only worked as sporting director at Sporting Braga, along with well-known Englishman Peter Reid. Couto ended up being the most expensive coach at the draft, secured by Howrah for $240,000. Among the icons, Barasat acquired 37-year-old Hernan Crespo for the record price of $840,000, after Crespo agreed to terminate his Parma contract early for this engagement in India. He had once already been the world’s most expensive player when Lazio paid €35 million for him 11 years ago. Both Fabio Cannavaro and Robert Pires also fetched over $800,000. Cannavaro, 39, had actually retired from active football the previous July at Al Ahli (UAE), after doctors prohibited him from continuing. Clearly, the financial power behind this project is remarkable. “It will be a big thing. The latest information I have is that the TV rights have already been sold to fifty countries,” added Jozef Tokos. The money also convinced others, like Pires, who has barely played at a higher level in two years, and Okocha, who had retired some time ago.

The rules state that a club can have four foreigners, with three on the pitch at once. If a club signed a South Korean, one icon, and another foreign player, a further draft foreigner would only fill a bench spot. This may explain why only seven players were ultimately drafted from Hrabáč’s category. A pity, because the idea of playing alongside Cannavaro or Pires, or being Crespo’s teammate, sounded fantastic. “I cannot see into the thinking of clubs that are only now being formed, but the fact remains that they did not take a single European. That is quite surprising. Perhaps they will next year, but it is hard to estimate now. Igor and I did everything possible – even getting into the draft was a challenge. Hrabáč can now sign elsewhere, since he had to be a free agent until the draft,” concluded Jozef Tokos.