World Football - Crespo gets top price in Indian auction
Hernan Crespo became the hottest property of a new Indian football league starting next month when the Argentine fetched $840,000 (£536,000) in an auction of players and coaches.
Crespo was snapped up by the Barasat franchise of Premier League Soccer, which is modelled on cricket's highly successful Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament and scheduled from February 25-April 8 in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.
The idea of a players' auction was borrowed from IPL, whose success has spawned numerous franchise-based leagues in other sports across the country.
Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro went to Siliguri for $830,000 (£530,000), while Robert Pires of France($800,000 / £511,000), Nigerian Jay-Jay Okocha ($550,000 / £351,000) and Liverpool great Robbie Fowler ($530,000 / £339,000) went to Howrah, Durgapur and Kolkata respectively.
Five franchises collectively spent nearly $7 million (£4.47m), each buying an 'icon' player, two overseas footballers and a coach.
"This auction is unprecedented not only in the history of Indian football but also for world football," Bhaswar Goswami, executive director of the Celebrity Management Group which is organising the league, told Reuters by telephone.
"There is an expenditure cap and I must say that the franchises wisely spent their money," he said from Kolkata where the auction took place.
In an otherwise cricket-crazy country, the eastern Indian state of West Bengal is equally passionate about soccer.
Nearly 120,000 fans gave a rousing reception to Oliver Kahn in the German goalkeeper's 2008 Bayern Munich swansong in Kolkata and Argentina great Diego Maradona almost brought the city to a standstill during his visit the same year.
Howrah will boast PLS's most expensive coach after shelling out $240,000 (£153,000) for former Portugal central defender Fernando Couto.
Former Nigerian player and coach Samson Siasia (Durgapur) and Icelander Teitur Thordorson (Barasat) were both sold for $210,000 (£134,000).
Former Manchester City and Sunderland manager Peter Reid (Kolkata) and Marco Etcheverry (Siliguri), arguably the greatest Bolivian player, went for $200,000 (£128,000) each.
Comment 73 - 92 of 92
Craig Witton
You are the scum mentioning Munich, well done to Liverpool for winning the game they were not the best side on the night but scored twice. Not everyone is bitter about other teams and their success. i for one would love to see the day when home and away fans can sit next to each other and have a laugh as they do in amateur football still. It will have to be a day when people like you are banned though as it would be an impossibility for you to sit with anyone who dares to support another team other than yours - pathetic mate grow up
The Wolves team are worth a few rupees and only rupees!
To richardcollins66 you got to be a dirty manc scumbag havnt u and your still bitter over liverpool beating you at the weekend ha ha ha u got nothin else better to do than make insults about liverpool so shut ur mouth u horrible dirty munich scumbag . YNWA
I'm 65 and may be past my best, but I'm up for it, better than working in B & Q. Anyone want a left sided mid fielder, who can tackle and has a good foot on the end of each leg.
78.THE REF;S GET 65 RUPEE,S PER GAME AND £10.OOO PER PENALTY !!!!!!!!.......Good job manure don't play there then, it would cost them a fortune !!!!!!!!!!!
is the transfer window nothing but a slave trade
Everything is possible with Indians Thats why they are leading in all fields.
Gerrard and cole and terry were sold as a package for 5 quid and a blocked toilet !!
India is a superpower look at Tata anyway about football 10 bob for carroll and torres combined
Fernando Torres went for a tener ;)
must be over 5 years since fowler played in a hard professional football game
The MLS has the SuperDraft , in which the Major League Soccer teams select players who have graduated from college or otherwise been signed by the league. The SuperDraft was first instituted in 2000, as a combination of the MLS College Draft, in which players having graduated from college were selected, and the MLS Supplemental Draft, in which all other players were chosen. The draft is divided into three rounds in which each club has a selection, the order of which is determined by a combination of the teams' playoff and regular season positions, with the last placed team (or expansion teams) getting the first pick.
Ok, so now India has its own version of the Premier League, can you please take the Venkys back. The Venkys are the scourge of Blackburn Rovers, taking a once fine club, with a reputation to match to the brink of destruction. PLEASE TAKE THEM BACK BEFORE THEY DO EVEN MORE DAMAGE.
Very interesting, people say all kinds of things! These guys (Robbie & others) want to make a difference where they are appriciated and valued. Remember; one man's trash is another man's gold. Ignorant people still believe that nice things only happen in the west, wrong! Emerging economies are elsewhere.
some football fans need to get a life, what they are trying to do in football, is being done in cricket in india. after all this years i did not hear a single complain.
i did not know why people are comparing this to slave trade, when the players partaking in it is not being forced to do it. they are doing it out of their own free will to benefit themselves.
THE REF;S GET 65 RUPEE,S PER GAME AND £10.OOO PER PENALTY !!!!!!!!
Hey people, stop poking to some country who is doing well and achieving heights. This is a huge achievement for the Indian football, and is just a start. Most of the european clubs are running in loses. Some of them dont have money to pay the salaries. And the big clubs in european football are owned by Russians, Americans, Middle East and Asians. the richest person in the UK is an Indian. Arsenal goalkeeper is Polish. A big amount of money paid or involved in transfers and fees in the EPL is from foreign. So why these people are making noise? Empty cans?
mandy carroll no bids
We are the third world now not India...get used to it people.
to this ( I guess woman) called Jean. Would be really happy to have your opinion about footballers salary here in UK or the world. Also most importantly, are your celebrities who prostitute themselves in front of cameras good role models for your children. Of course, bearing in mind their weekly roasting, number of sexual partners, drug taking, alcohol fuelled party.......
Please login to post a comment
Not already a Yahoo! user ? Sign up to get a free Yahoo! Account