Cannavaro making Indian comeback

Italian World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro is stepping out of retirement to make a comeback in a new Indian league.

The Italian will be part of a six-team competition which will be a joint venture between the Indian Football Association and the Celebrity Management Group (CMG).

Cannavaro, as well as other famous names including Englishmen Robbie Fowler and John Barnes, France’s Robert Pires, Argentinians Hernan Crespo and Juan Pablo Sorin, Spaniard Fernando Morientes and Jay Jay Okocha of Nigeria, are all set to be part of the new Indian league.

“I’m getting back on the pitch with the Indian Football Association, West Bengal,” Cannavaro tweeted.

The 38-year-old announced his retirement from the game in July because of a persistent knee problem, but it seems the lure of the new competition has caused a change of heart.

The franchises are Kolkata, Barasat, Howrah, Haldia, Durgapur and Siliguri, with each team boasting at least one marquee foreign player and a foreign coach.

Peter Reid and Colin Todd, who both have English Premier League experience, are expected to join Barnes among the coaches on offer.

The plan is for the competition to run for 10 weeks, with matches from Wednesday through to Sunday – usually at night – according to Italian press reports.

Television rights are expected to be sold not only in South-east Asia but also Europe and America.