Real Madrid and Barcelona have won La Liga in all but three seasons since 2000. (Source: Reuters)
In the landscape of European football, English Premier League dominates the eyeballs in the Indian market. Even as the I-League and Indian Super League (ISL) tussle to be the most important league in the country, they are still dwarfed by the might of the foreign leagues in terms of attracting viewers. As per Rajesh Kaul, President, SPN, “La Liga season 2016-17 saw over 400% growth in reach with a total cumulative reach of 40 million,” in an interview to Economic Times. The Spanish top-division has set up base in India and is here to stay.
Jose Antonio Cachaza, La Liga’s country manager in India, spoke to IndianExpress.com on the league’s expansion plans and the competition it faces from the English Premier League. Excerpts:
La Liga has grown significantly in the last few years, second only to English Premier League. How do you build the brand going forward?
Jose: We are in the process of expanding not just in India and it is where we want to have a strategic partnerships. It is why one of our six regional offices is in India. We have a long term project and goal for India to increase our brand reach, awareness and value. But how do we that? We achieve that by building and helping Indian football, in grassroots football and associating with corporations. We did screenings last year in Mumbai and Delhi, then again in Delhi this year with Gianluca Zambrotta coming and nearly 8000 people attending. Then we’re also working closely with Indian institutions, another viewing of a Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid game (March 4) in Mumbai.
Are there any collaboration plans with the ISL?
Jose: We have a very good relationship with both All India Football Federation (AIFF) and especially with ISL. Last year we invited 30 kids of the Young Champs Academy to La Liga clubs and it was a high success. It was a great experience for the kids and also for us. It was just a small step and ofcourse we are constant communication with them – my relationship with Sundar Raman [CEO of Reliance Sports] is better than good. Not concrete projects but we’re in contact.
For most, one of the reasons for Premier League’s success and dominance is that it is about more than just two teams. With La Liga, a lot of the focus is on Real Madrid and Barcelona. How do you tackle that?
Jose: It is important to have more than just two teams. For us, Real Madrid and Barcelona are very important. La Liga has two best teams in the world and three of the best players in the world – Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann. It is blessing for a competition like us. But, I should say that now we have three international brands – Atletico Madrid is there. Sure they are not at the level of Real Madrid and Barcelona, but they can match the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and such Premier League brands. We are conscious of this fact and we are working with teams such as Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal which are also in the top half of the table and competing in Europe. Premier League’s presence over La Liga has more to do with the fact that they have been working in the Asian market for over 20 years. While we have only entered this market maybe five-six years ago. However, our dominance in other international markets such as Latin America and Middle East and Africa (MEA), we’re number one and way ahead of the Premier League.
Supercoppa Italiana (Italy’s Super Cup) has been played four times in China. For quite a few years, there have been talks of SuperCopa taking place in either China or India. Any headway on that?
Jose: There’s been talks for many years but it is not easy. For it to take place, you need to bring together clubs, federation (RFEF) and La Liga on same page. The federation now is undergoing changes with appointment of next president which will happen in the next couple of months. So it’s impossible to talk clearly about that. It is an opportunity that is always on the table but there is nothing real about it.
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