Former French defender Bernard Mendy emerged the top attraction at Thursday's draft for the troubled new franchised-based Indian Super League set to kick off in October. The ex-Paris Saint-Germain star will be paid $80,000 per season to play for last-minute entrants Team Chennai following the draft held in financial hub Mumbai.
Mendy's fee was the highest forked out by franchises for the 49 retired foreign players who will play in the tournament running from October 12 to December 20. The ISL, which hopes to popularise football in the cricket-obsessed country, is the brainchild of Reliance Industries, headed by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, sports management giant IMG, and Rupert Murdoch's Star TV. India, ranked a lowly 150th in the world, has seen a surge in football's popularity due to live television coverage of matches played around the globe.
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