Bengal Premier League Soccer
Premier League Soccer (PLS) was an Indian football league competition established on 1 January 2012, which was to take place in the state of West Bengal. The league was expected to begin its first season on 25 February 2012, with the aim to increase interest in football in West Bengal. It was modelled on the lines of the United States' Major League Soccer and the Indian Premier League.[1][2]
| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2013 |
| Country | India |
| Number of teams | 6 |
Structure
The league was organised by Celebrity Management Group, who had signed a 30-year deal with Indian Football Association, the apex body of football in West Bengal. There would have been six teams in the inaugural 2012 season; they were to have been owned by franchises, who would have to bid for the team for 10 years and pay a yearly franchisee fee. They were to be based in Kolkata, and five regional centres: Howrah, Barasat, Durgapur and Siliguri.[3][2] Each team was to play every other team twice (once at home and once away). Three points were to have been awarded for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. At the end of the season a table of the final League standings was to have been determined, based on the following criteria in this order: points obtained, goal difference, and goals scored. After the regular season the teams would have played in a play-off style tournament in which there would have been semi-finals and a final. The tournament would have been played across seven weeks, from 24 March to 6 May 2012.[4]
Media coverage
As of February 2012, there had been no television deal for the 2012 PLS season announced.[4]
Clubs and stadiums 2012
A list of clubs for the 2012 season was to have been decided after an auction on 10 to 12 February 2011.[4]
| Team | Price | Owner | Icon players | Overseas players | Asian origin players | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barasat Euro Musketeers | Rs 25.15 crore | Uro Infra Reality India | Hernán Crespo $840,000 | Christian Lara $200,000; Joaquin Botero $180,000 | Park Byoung-Gyu $90,000 | Teitur Thordarson $210,000 |
| Bengal Tuskers | Rs 18 crore | Aajay Consultants | Fabio Cannavaro $830,000 | Santino Quaranta $180,000; Limberg Gutierrez $180,000; | Hwang Gyu-Hwan $90,000 | Marco Etcheverry $200,000 |
| Kolkata Camelians | Rs 11.5 crore | Camelia Group | Robbie Fowler | Robert Egbeta $350,000; Daniel Varela $120,000 | Park Ji-Seung $140,000 | Peter Reid $200,000 |
| Manchester Howrah | Rs 9 crore | Syncsys Infotech | Robert Pires $715,000 | Jose Gabriel Rios $180,000, Diego Madrigal $120,000 | Byun Yoon-Chul $115,000 | Fernando Couto $240,000 |
| Durgapur Vox Champions | Rs 7.6 crore | Tulip Infonet | Jay Jay Okocha $550,000 | José Carlos Castillo $80,000; Alonso Solís $200,000 | Kim Bong-Kyeom $150,000 | Samson Siasia $210,000 |
| Haldia Heroes | base tag of Rs 70 lakh | Grey Mind Communications | Juan Pablo Sorín | - | - | John Barnes |
Postponement and cancellation
In the last week of February, 2012, Utpal Ganguli, the secretary of the Indian Football Association, announced that the league had been postponed. He did not reveal the new dates or the causes of postponement. It is believed that financial hurdles and lack of venues were the major reasons.[5][6][7][2]
In January 2013, the Indian Football Association announced that it had withdrawn support for the venture, citing financial problems, the lack of suitable venues, and the unavailability of overseas players in the period the competition was to have been played.[8]
References
- "Move aside cricket, here comes India's Premier League Soccer". firstpost.com. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
- "Robbie Fowler's Indian payday under threat as Premier League Soccer hits problems". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. 22 February 2012. Archived from the original on 5 July 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
- "IFA announces launch of Premier League Soccer". The Times of India. 25 April 2011. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013.
- "Stars lined up for Indian soccer league - The Times of India". The Times Of India. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- "India's new star-studded league postponed". dawnnewspaper. 23 February 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- "Lack of venues sees start of India's Premier League Soccer postponed". Guardian newspaper. London. 22 February 2012. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- "Premier League Soccer postponed". ESPN STAR SPORTS. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2012.
- "India's ambitious Premier League Soccer plan finally axed". goal.com. Perform Group. 30 January 2013. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2013.