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WHAT HAPPENED?
According to an over-35s World Cup-style football tournament featuring legendary players is scheduled to take place in June in England. The competition, organized by the Elite Players Group (EPG), comprises eight teams: England, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Uruguay, all past champions of the FIFA World Cup.
Matches will take place in the same stadium over one week at the beginning of June, with the venue still being finalized, while some of the venues of the Premier League's prominent northern clubs are also being considered. Only players aged 35 or above, capped by their country, or with 100 top-flight appearances are eligible to participate.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Captains of each country are EPG founders, with Steve McManaman leading England and other skippers including Esteban Cambiasso (Argentina), Emerson (Brazil), Christian Karembeu (France), Kevin Kuranyi (Germany), Marco Materazzi (Italy), Michel Salgado (Spain), and Diego Lugano (Uruguay.
Provisional squads feature former Ballon d’Or winners like Michael Owen, Kaka, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, and Fabio Cannavaro. England's roster includes Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand, David James, Frank Lampard, and Robbie Fowler.
Other stars expected to play are Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Thierry Henry, Marcel Desailly, Hernan Crespo, Pablo Zabaleta, Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira, David Villa, Carlos Puyol, Francesco Totti, and Diego Forlan.
