La Liga launches operational base in India 

New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) La Liga President Javier Tebas officially inaugurated the operational base of the Spanish football league in India here on Thursday.

India is the sixth international operational base for the La Liga, the top division of Spanish football. La Liga has already established operational bases in the United States, South Africa, Dubai, Nigeria and China.

The programme seeks to increase the popularity of the Spanish football league and Spanish clubs in India.

Tebas was joined at the opening ceremony by La Liga’s managing director of international development Vicente Casado and by former Spain striker Fernando Morientes who is the ambassador of the league in India.

Also in attendance were the Spanish ambassador to India, Magdalena Cruz and the Secretary General of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Kushal Das.

Tebas was confident that the launch of La Liga’s operations in India will be beneficial for the development of football in the country.

“It means a lot, this is one of the most important days in La Liga’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,” he was quoted as saying in a statement.

“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,” he added.

“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.”

The statistical information relating to football in India reflects the considerable social interest in the sport throughout the nation.

The average profile of football viewers evidences the market’s massive potential for growth.

In total, 75 percent of the football viewing audience in India are aged between 18 and 44, with over 85 percent of them students or trained professionals with high purchasing power.