Jamshedpur: Ferran Soriano, the chief executive of Manchester City termed India as a ‘land of opportunity’ while also expressing his interest of tapping into the fast growing football market in the country.
Soriano, who is also the CEO for City Football Group that owns six football clubs across continents was invited by Tata Steel, owners of Jamshedpur FC and attended an Indian Super League (ISL) game between Jamshedpur FC and Mumbai City FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex on Friday, following which he said, “This is spectacular. Atmosphere is great and we saw some very good football. I am very impressed.”
Accompanied by three Manchester City officials Soriano whose company owns cub like MLS New York City FC, A League’s Melbourne City and Premier League’s Manchester City FC is on a three day trip to India. He sounded optimistic on the rapid development of Indian football and the growth of India as a football market.
“We think India is a major opportunity for football because there is talent and passion and we are very positive about the development of football in the country,” he said pleased with what he saw. “That’s why we are here. We want to watch some ISL games, meet people and want to see players.”
“I think this is a land of opportunity. There is enough evidence that India has talent and they can be coached to get to the top. For Indian talent to grow, coaching is very important. You need good coaches to come to India who can also coach other coaches here,” added the 50 year-old.
The CFG group at the moment are looking to buy a club in China and expand their fanbase in Asia but while a Chinese City club is almost certain, the group is also said to have developed a considerable interest in the Indian market and although there is no specific investment in place, a future plan is possible.
1 comment
Agreed. Soriano should reach out to me. I am working with both leagues with Futsal