"We had preliminary discussions with a few leading businessmen in the country and the project seems to have appealed to them,” said AIFF President Praful Patel. “Talks are also on for a media deal with a television company interested in broadcasting the event. But we don't want to jump the gun and are keeping several options open.”
The Times of India (TOI) reports that Patel has spoken about the project to businessmen Vijay Mallya, of UB Group, and Mukesh Ambani, of Reliance Industries, both of whom already own IPL teams.
The TOI says that FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation are encouraging the AIFF to replicate the IPL’s success.
