New Delhi: Moving forward with their international expansion, LaLiga inaugurate sixth base in India with an event held at New Delhi’s ITC Maurya Hotel. Javier Tebas, President of Liga de Fútbol Profesional today officially inaugurated the organisation’s New Delhi office, whose chief aim is to boost LaLiga’s presence and reach to 1.3 billion population. Also present at the opening ceremony were Vicente Casado, LaLiga’s Managing Director of International Development, LaLiga ambassador Fernando Morientes, Spanish ambassador to India, Magdalena Cruz; the secretary general of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Kushal Das; NP Singh, the CEO of Sony Pictures Networks India, LaLiga’s broadcaster in India; and Gaurav Modwel, the CEO of the FC Pune City club.
The touring opponent of India for the Davis Cup World Group play off, the Spanish Davis Cup team were also on hand to witness the launch of LaLiga’s new office. Rafa Nadal, David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez, Marc Lopez and captain Conchita Martinez have all been practising in Delhi since Monday for the Davis Cup playoff and Miguel Diaz, the president of the Spanish Tennis Federation, headed the expedition.
Speaking about the new base, Javier Tebas said, “It means a lot; this is one of the most important days in LaLiga’s history. Being present in India is very important to us. We have been working hard towards this for a while and have even made changes to kick-off times with Indian fans in mind. I want to highlight the efforts of Sony, our broadcaster in this country. We’ve got to grow together if we are to become the best. I hope that our new office will enable us to achieve our dreams.”
Speaking further about the action plan for the new office, the LaLiga President said, “We want to share our knowledge with India’s young people and we will also be contributing to training coaches. That will play an important role for us and the future of Indian football alike.”
Speaking about yet another place where India and Spain will work together in a business environment, the Spanish ambassador to India, Magdalena Cruz, said, “I wish to welcome the opening of the LaLiga office in India. It’s great news that the best league in the world, featuring some of the biggest clubs on the planet, has taken this step to move closer to the people of this country.”
LaLiga ambassador Fernando Morientes highlighted the importance of LaLiga on the international stage, offering a reminder that the league represents the best competition in the world, before adding that, “India is a very important destination in LaLiga’s development and it’s a pleasure for us to be here.”
Indian football fans will be able to follow the competition courtesy of Sony which is the official broadcaster of LaLiga in India. LaLiga now has six international offices in all, with its base in India joining the ones in the United States, South Africa, Dubai, Nigeria and China.