India's Premier League Soccer postponed due to lack of venuesFebruary 22, 2012 - 14:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The inaugural edition of India's Premier League Soccer (PLS), featuring the World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro and former France international Robert Pires, has been postponed because of a lack of venues, The Guardian reports. The six-team competition, modeled on the successful Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket tournament, was due to kick off in the eastern state of West Bengal, but the organizers said they could not secure the stadiums owned by the state government. "Discussion is on with the state government but even if it is sorted out by the end of this week, we would need time to prepare the fields," said Dharamdutt Pandey, chief executive of the event management company which conceived PLS. The secretary of All India Football Federation's West Bengal unit was in touch with the state sports minister and the issue would be resolved soon, Pandey claimed. "These are minor issues and PLS is very much on. We are now targeting a mid-April start for the league. It would require at least one month to upgrade the stadiums to an international standard," Pandey said. Top stories Armenian gymnast, Olympic bronze medalist Artur Davtyan has reached the finals of the World Cup. Gor Manvelyan has denied reports alleging that he has expressed a desire to one day play for the French national team. Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not considering FC Spartak Moscow as his next haven, according to fresh reports. 10 Armenian lifters will compete in the 2021 World Championships scheduled to be held from 7 to 17 December in Tashkent. Partner news | PACE wants concessions from Azerbaijan to accept Baku back A PACE co-rapporteur said that Azerbaijani authorities must make certain concessions so that the country can return to PACE. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. |