'Tie-up with an ISL club still a possibility': Borussia Dortmund MD Carsten Cramer

The growth of Indian football has caught the eye of a number of top clubs from Europe, and German giants Borussia Dortmund have become the latest team to have shown some interest in the country.

Dortmund already have a strong global presence, especially in regions like Japan and parts of South East Asia.

"We started this process successfully in Southeast Asia, and took nearly the same steps in the Chinese market. We always try to run some partnerships with (local) clubs, some grassroots initiatives. But they have to be authentic," said Borussia Dortmund marketing director Carsten Cramer to a select group of media on Saturday. "So there has to be some sort of a similarity between the DNA of the clubs and of the supporters."

However, Cramer did mention that being the club that they are, Borussia Dortmund cannot afford to go to the more favourable destinations taken up by the cash-rich European clubs.

"We cannot be everywhere in the world. So everyone told us 3-4 years ago, that you have to go to the USA. But as Dortmund, we are not that big so we can not go everywhere. We made the decision to start in Japan when we brought in Shinji Kagawa," said Cramer. "Now we also know that other places in the world may also be interesting for us, like India, but we have to look for an authentic and natural connection there."

Shinji Kagawa was crucial for Dortmund to get into the Japanese market

Dortmund have already been in talks with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) over a tie-up in the country, and Cramer may soon be travelling to India to further explore the possibilities.

"This is something I am interested in and I will go to Mumbai and Bengaluru (to talk to possible partners). I will also meet some representatives of football tomorrow (Sunday). We have already met the General Secretary (Kushal Das) of the AIFF a couple of weeks back," he continued. "We will take it step by step and I am sure this is the right way even if it means that India will follow a little bit later. "

However, Cramer ruled out the conventional approach taken by most European clubs, while entering a foreign market. He stressed on the importance of the 'Dortmund way', according to which, the club would build from the "bottom-up".

"Rushing to the country, playing a friendly with the professionals, doing some winky-winky with the fans, that's not the Dortmund way," he said. "It's also important for us to fulfil the promises to the people on a long-term perspective."

Borussia Dortmund has already made headways in China.

Instead, the club from the Ruhr area of Germany will be looking for an approach that places more importance on youth development, rather than going into the glitz and glamorous side of the business.

"Roughly, we are looking for the same youth-oriented approach in India. We are trying to individualize it as much as it's possible. So the more information we receive, the better it will be," he said.

"We don't have to be the first movers. The approach has to fit Dortmund. Even if there are 10 others before us, I am sure there will be space for the Dortmund story because the Dortmund story is not the copy and paste story like the others," he further said. "Of course, we want to reach more people. It is not the money that we are looking at first. The more people know the brand, the more valuable the brand will be. The bigger the community will be, the more powerful the brand gets."

Cramer even opened up about the possibility of tying up with an ISL club, in order to make a headway into the Indian football market.

"We will think about some partnership with some ISL club, or if there are some other initiatives that make more sense, we will do it," said Cramer. "We will discuss it with our main partners Puma, who have some connection with India as well. The usual approach of our club is always the bottom-up approach."

China an unfavourable market for Borussia Dortmund?

While Indian football has taken big strides in the last couple of years as the country entered to top 100s of the FIFA rankings for the first time in two decades, it still lags behind other Asian countries like China.

In fact, a quick glance at the team rosters in the Indian Super League and the Chinese Super League will give you an idea about the disparity in the economics of football between the two countries.

A number of players from top European clubs have been lured to China after being offered high wages. However, the Indian clubs are more cautious in their approach to bring in marquee signings.

Borussia Dortmund

have

already tied-up with Chinese Super League club Shandong Luneng.

Despite the fact that Dortmund have already set up their facilities in China, Cramer believes that the nation may not be as fruitful a market for them.

"Chinese people are more looking for the number ones. We are not the number one. The benchmark in German football is Bayern Munich. It's nice to say that you are 30-time champions, but that is not the case with us," he said.

"Football is more than just winning titles. Titles are important because they are a document for success and hard work. Again, I do not want to say any negative words about competitors. Huge respect for Bayern Munich and any others," said Cramer.

"We have to find a different way for Dortmund. Although we are just one of the top 10 people in Europe, the Chinese seem to be interested. We could have gone with some of the clubs like Guangzhou Evergrande, but we decided to go with Shandong Luneng, a club that has some traditional fan following," he said.

"They invest in the education of players and they were interested in our youth academy. This was a very trustworthy and sensible approach and this appealed to us."

With a different approach, Dortmund are one of the few top European clubs that have moved away from the glamour of top tier football in countries where the sport is still on the rise. Cramer, with this approach, typified the fact that the Ruhr Valley club is not interested in running the race the traditional European giants are attempting to win.

Thus, the club has set itself apart, as it looks to run its own race, as the likes of Cramer and co go looking for greater glories in both German, and indeed, European football.

Note: Suromitro Basu was in Dortmund as part of the Bundesliga Experience with Star Sports Select.