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India is set to witness football, the Arsenal way, live. Arsenal are set to play two friendlies in India. Freddie Ljunberg and Robert Pires, both Arsenal legends, now ply their trade for Mumbai City FC and FC Goa respectively. The manager, Arsene Wenger, has also been vocal in his support of the Indian Super League, would love to take advantage of this increasing demand for football in India.
”India is seen very much as an untapped market in terms of revenue streams.There are more than a billion people in the country, so it doesn’t take a lot of working out that there are lots of opportunities as yet unearthed in that part of the world.” said an Arsenal source.
Sources suggest that the two friendlies will be against Pires’ and Ljunberg’s ISL teams, ie. FC Goa and Mumbai City FC.
Arsenal’s early arrival to the Indian football market could also pave the path for other European heavyweights to tap into this football crazy country.
What’s even more encouraging for all Indian footballers, is that Arsenal has identified India as a possible target- to churn out the next set of world class players.
The impact of the Indian Super League on improving the quality of Indian football is yet debatable, but one thing that is for sure is that ISL has put India on the footballing map.
