Latin flavour in World Series Hockey tournament

MUMBAI: The upcoming World Series Hockey got a touch of Latin flavour after six Argentine and three Spanish players have signed up for the $2 million prize money tournament.

The six Argentinians who are to play in the inaugural season of the league, scheduled from December 15 to January 22, 2012, are the Vila brothers — Lucas and Matias — Rodrigo, striker Callioni Facundo and defenders Pedro Ibarra and Juan Martin Lopez, a media release from WSH said on Wednesday.

Former Spain captain Rodrigo Garza and compatriots Alfonso Pombo and Andreau Enrich would also be seen in action in the eight-team tournament which is a joint initiative of Nimbus Sports and the Indian Hockey Federation.

Lucas Vila, who was a member of the world All-Star team and took part in the 2010 World Cup in Delhi last year, would be captaining one of the city-based franchise squads in the League.

“World Series Hockey continues to attract the best talent in terms of players and administrators and I feel proud to be an integral part as a captain. The global league is highly anticipated and will witness a fantastic display of skill and talent,” Vila said ahead of the tournament.

Former Spain captain Rodrigo Garza too was keen on playing in front of passionate Indian fans.

“It is indeed an honour for me and my teammates to play in a global league like World Series Hockey. The hockey fans in India are extremely knowledgeable and passionate and will certainly appreciate a keen contest,” said Rodrigo.

The tournament would involve 176 leading players — Indian and international — and would be spread over 61 matches.

Six cities – Delhi, Punjab, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore – have already been identified for having franchise teams while remaining slots would go to two from among Bhopal, Pune, Rourkela, Ranchi, Manipur, Lucknow and Kolkata.