LaLiga officially sets foot in India with opening of New Delhi office

NEW DELHI: The next El Clasico could be happening in India. On Thursday, La Liga, the second-most watched league in the world, made Capital their hub, cashing in on football's growing popularity in the subcontinent.
Tennis ace Rafael Nadal kicked off La Liga's ambitious campaign, which would see the league promoting the game through exhibition matches and top player visits.

The Delhi office, La Liga's third in Asia, will also help the iconic league to gather more eyeballs from the increasingly popular English Premier League.

Unveiling the league's India plans, Ambassador Fernado Morientes and President Javier Tebas said the initiative will increase the game's connect with India at grassroot level.



Competing with the English Premier League for viewership, which has a favorable time slot for matches in India, Tebas said that La Liga matches will kick off at 4:30 local time to suit the Indian audience

"We in La Liga want to be very near our fans in all the parts of the world. Our travel to India is to share our experiences with Indian people and partners about what LaLiga has learned in the world football," said Tebas.

"We have come to realise that there is huge fan following of clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in India and by opening an office in the country, we want to be closer to the fans."

Morientes, who is a former Spain striker, recalled his India connection. "Many of my friends have played in India and I am really happy to be here. Football has been a huge part of my life and it has brought a lot of joy. I hope to motivate a lot of Indian players and see them do well in the years to come," he said.

The growing visibility of football and tournaments like ISL, are compelling major global leagues to look towards India.