La Liga to kick off at 4:30 PM IST, announces President Javier Tebas
In a piece of news that is likely to make fans of Spanish football in India happy, La Liga President Javier Tebas today said that the league will kick off at 4:30 PM India Standard Time (IST), keeping in mind the interest of viewers in the country. Tebas was present in New Delhi at an event to formally announce the entry of La Liga in India by opening an office and initiating a development programme in the country.
The viewership of La Liga has been increasing in India due to the presence of stars like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale, Neymar Jr., Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta among others. However, since a lot of the matches are played during the evening in Spain (late night in India), the viewership gets restricted. Therefore, in order to compete with the Premier League, La Liga will be looking to schedule its matches earlier.
Tebas was present at the event alongside other Spanish dignataries including former Liverpool and Real Madrdid star Fernando Morientes, who is also the LaLiga Ambassador. Spanish football has been on the rise in India, especially in the past half a decade, and giants Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have a sizeable following in the country. Tapping into a market as huge as India only makes sense for one of the top football leagues in the world.
Speaking at the event, La Liga President Tebas said, “I would like to thank all of you for coming to this occasion and I am happy to announce that our league has plans to take giant steps in India. 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.
“Spain, as a country, is extremely passionate about sports and we would like to share the same with you. The experience of fans and football lovers in Spain is something we want to bring to India as well. Furthemore, we also want Indian football to grow in the coming years and I believe that our development programme and office in the country will look towards to making that possible,” Tebas added.
Former Liverpool and Real Madrid star Fernando Morientes, who was present at the event in the capacity of La Liga ambassador, said, “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.”
Though La Liga has made the announcement regarding kicking off games at 4:30 PM IST, it would be interesting to see how many big teams play in those. Furthermore, will Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, as clubs, agree to play several games as early as 1 PM in the afternoon (their time). La Liga would also need to work towards improving the popularity of teams like Valencia, Atheltic Bilbao, Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Villareal.