Express News Service
KOCHI: With the 2018 FIFA World Cup coming to a grand conclusion on Sunday after gifting football fans around the world a month of surprises, joy and despair, it is only natural for the fan to feel a sense of emptiness as they wait for its next edition. But fear not. Kerala Blasters and co have got it covered for you. The city of Kochi which has witnessed its fair share of world-class football action in the last year or so will once again host an international event in the form of Toyota Yaris La Liga World.
The tournament to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium here will see three matches -- between Blasters, La Liga club Girona FC and A-League side Melbourne City FC from July 24 to 28. “We wanted to have a concept like this and were looking at clubs to partner with when Spanish top division side Girona FC showed interest through La Liga’s India operations,” said Blasters CEO Varun Tripuraneni.
“International clubs have always been interested in doing something in India and the successful conduct of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup here has given them the confidence to come forward,” Varun told Express. “The tournament which will see Blasters face two top teams Girona and Melbourne is just the start. We will try to improve the offering every year and maybe, we can pull off a few surprises in the years to come,” said the Blasters administrator. This will be the first time that a La Liga team will play in India and the tournament, in itself, is the first-of-its-kind preseason event in India -- a country which has failed to attract top European clubs during the offseason unlike China, USA or Australia.
“Our plan is to bring top clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona to India and there is no better place to start our project than Kerala. I have watched the U-17 World Cup here and was impressed by the passion and knowledge of Kerala fans,” said La Liga India country head Jose Cachaza.
“It is a good challenge as we will get to know where we stand compared to leagues like A-League and La Liga, which is one of, if not the, best leagues in the world. I hope it is also going to be a treat for the fans as we will be up against some of the best footballers in the world from the two visiting teams,” said Blasters attacker C K Vineeth.
Though incessant rains are hitting the city for weeks now, Kerala Football Association secretary P Anilkumar is confident the tournament will be held smoothly. “Works have been ongoing to prepare the field of play and we have a very good drainage system installed at the stadium now that can withstand adverse conditions,” said Anilkumar.
