Kochi: Inspired by their Bollywood counterparts, leading actors in the Malayalam movie industry are seemingly exploring investment opportunities in the professional football industry. Malayalam superstar Prithviraj Sukumaran has reportedly shown interest in becoming a shareholder in one of the franchises of the Super League Kerala (SLK), an ambitious initiative to develop football at grassroots level.
According to sources, the actor-director is in talks to acquire shares in Thrissur Roar FC, one of the six franchises of the inaugural edition of the SLK. If Prithviraj manages to acquire a stake in the franchise, which has financial backing from a bunch of prominent private investors, he will become the first Mollywood actor to invest in a franchise-based professional football league.
Kaz Patafta, chairman and chief executive officer of A-League side Brisbane Roar FC, is a major stakeholder in Thrissur Roar FC. The franchise's co-owners include Benoit Joseph of Magnus Sports and Mohammed Rafeeq of Nusym Technologies.
Organised jointly by the Kerala Football Association and Scoreline Sports Private Limited, the SLK is set to commence in September and will run for 45 days. The matches will be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode, and Sports Council Stadium, Manjeri.
The other five franchises in the inaugural edition of the SLK are Thiruvananthapuram Kombans FC, Kochi Pipers FC, Calicut FC, Malappuram FC, and Kannur Squad FC.
