A deluge of former international football stars including Brazilians Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos, and Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs, are being paid hefty amounts - between USD 300,000 to USD 600,000 - to play two exhibition matches in Pakistan.
Along with them, some of the other big stars who will join are Nicolas Anelka, Robert Pires, David James, George Boateng and Luis Boa Morte. The players arrived in Karachi early Saturday morning on a private jet manned by the Pakistan military.
The two exhibition matches will be held in Karachi and Lahore under the auspices of the Leisure Leagues and World Group which claim they want to promote the sport in Pakistan. According to a report in the News International , the Leisure League is paying Ronaldinho around USD 600,000 for the short visit while the other players are getting paid between USD 300,000 and USD 400,000.
Interestingly, the Pakistani players who will play alongside the international stars of the exhibition games have complained that they have not been promised any payments from the organisers for the matches. The organisers are selling tickets for the exhibition matches priced between Rs. 2000 and 30,000.
Due to the devastating effects of terrorist attacks in Pakistan for the last decade, international teams and players have refrained from coming to Pakistan due to security concerns.
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