England s North v South rivalry to be revived with new fixture

LONDON - Long before the days when the Premier League turned English soccer into a global entertainment business featuring players from around the globe, a more parochial debate often did the rounds -- who has the best players - North or South?

That rivalry will be revived in June with bragging rights at stake in the inaugural North versus South fixture at Charlton Athletics The Valley stadium.

The South will be managed by former West Ham United, Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp while ex-Liverpool forward Robbie Fowler leads The North.

Each squad will feature 16 players from English soccers recent past.

Players, still to be confirmed, will either have roots in the north or south of England or come from further afield but were adopted icons at their respective English clubs.

The northern teams, you know, theyve dominated really, if were honest, with the Liverpool, Man United, Man City now, Redknapp, whose Portsmouth side won the 2008 FA Cup, told reporters.

So its about time the south got back to winning a trophy again.

Fowler, who scored 128 league goals for Liverpool and earned 26 England caps, said he would cast his net far and wide.

Im not giving my game away but Ive already gone overseas and looked at a few players, he said.

The idea of a Premier League North v Premier League South All-Star game was mooted by Chelsea chairman Ted Boehly in 2022, although there was little interest because of a packed schedule.

In Australia, the State of Origin series is an annual best-of-three rugby league duel between two Australian state representative sides, the New South Wales Blues and the Queensland Maroons.

Proceeds from the North v South match, taking place on June 1, will raise money for charitable causes. REUTERS

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