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Ex-Sunderland talent Jerome Sinclair is set to lace his boots up once again after retiring from the professional game at a young age
Former Sunderland loanee Jerome Sinclair is one of several ex-EFL talents set to take part in the newly-formed UK version of the Baller League.
The competition, which pits former professionals, free agents, futsal players, and celebrities against each other in a series of small-sided fixtures, will debut on March 24th, and is set to be shown live on Sky Sports on Monday evenings from the Copper Box Arena in London.
For his part, Sinclair has been confirmed as one of a number of familiar names who will participate. The 28-year-old retired from the professional game in 2021 to focus on other business ventures, including a chain of fried chicken shops. Previously, the striker spent the first half of the 2018/19 campaign on loan with Sunderland, scoring two goals and assisting one more across 19 appearances.
What is the Baller League?
The Baller League began in Germany, and was created by entrepreneur Felix Starck, with help from German footballing legends Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski. It is a six-a-side indoor football tournament comprised of a dozen teams made up of former professionals, futsal players, and celebrities.
Each team has a squad of twelve players to chose from, and matches are made up of two 15 minute halves. In a twist on traditional six-a-side rules, however, the final three minutes of each half will see teams reduced to three players each, while goalkeepers are not allowed to use their hands and long-range goals count as double.
Which teams are involved and who are they managed by?
The twelve teams involved, and their respective managers, are as follows:
26ers - managed by John Terry
Deportrio - managed by Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, and Gary Lineker
FC Rules the World - managed by Clint 419
M7 FC - managed by Miniminter
MVPs United - managed by Alisha Lehmann and Maya Jama
N5 FC - managed by Jens Lehmann, Robert Pires, and Freddie Ljungberg
Santan FC - managed by Dave
SDS FC - managed by Sharky
Trebol FC - managed by Luis Figo
VZN FC - managed by Tobi Brown
Wembley Rangers - managed by Ian Wright and Chloe Kelly
Yanited - managed by Angry Ginge.
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Which former professionals will take part?
For his part, Sinclair will represent VZN FC, but by no means is he the only former professional and/or free agent set to lace up his boots later this month. Alongside the ex-attacker, VZN will also boast former Nottingham Forest star Henri Lansbury amongst their ranks.
Elsewhere, ex-Liverpool winger Jordon Ibe will play for John Terry’s 26ers, former Newcastle United defender Ciaran Clark will represent Trebol FC, and one-time Watford star and Team GB Olympian Marvin Sordell will make an appearance for Deportrio. Other names to watch out for include Adrian Mariappa, Bakary Sako, Michael Hector, Josh Harrop, and Bruno Andrade.
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