The Hindu : Sport / Football : Super Soccer promises to bring back old magic

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Thursday, Jan 18, 2007
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Sport - Football

Super Soccer promises to bring back old magic

Principal Correspondent

KOLKATA: Football enthusiasts in the country were promised the renewal "old magic" of international football as Tata group announced the revival of Super Soccer here on Wednesday.

The start will be made with the famed Brazilian outfit, Sao Paulo Futebol Clube, which will play five matches against different clubs in five different venues from January 27 to February 11.

The showpiece event, which brought in a host of clubs from Europe and Latin America between 1984 and 1994, has been reawakened by the man who masterminded its inception more than 20 years ago — Aditya Kashyap.

The former top functionary of the Tata Group of companies, who is currently the president of the Indian Football Association, has refreshed his old contacts to see the rebirth of the tournament. Sao Paulo FC, made famous by its charismatic coach Tele Santana, is one of the names from the list of the previous participants.

While Tata is the prime sponsor, IFA will organise the event. The team will arrive in Delhi on January 23, but the real action starts on January 27 when the visitor will take on former NFL champions East Bengal at Siliguri.

This will be followed by matches in Jamshedpur (Mohammedan Sporting), Kolkata (Mohun Bagan), Kochi (Kerala XI) before the concluding match in Delhi (JCT) on February 11.

The Sao Paulo squad will be admixing gleanings from the "first team, second team and the junior side,'' Mr. Kashyap said in a news conference.

The schedule:

January 27: Siliguri: Sao Paulo vs. East Bengal. January 31: Jamshedpur Sao Paulo vs. Mohammedan Sporting.

February 4: Kolkata: Sao Paulo vs. Mohun Bagan. February 7: Kochi: Sao Paulo vs. Kerala XI. February 11: Delhi: Sao Paulo vs. JCT Mills.