Spanish La liga heading to Asia
The Spanish La Liga will be on it’s away to Asia in 2011 following the launch of the LFP International Cup. The Chief Executive of the La Liga, Francisco Roca unveiled his plans at the ongoing Soccerex Asian Forum in Singapore on Thursday.
The details of the mega event are yet to be released but the event will be organised in cooperation with Mediapro, the company that holds the rights for the Spanish League. It was stated that there will be 3 Spanish clubs that will take part in the competition in South East Asia in July or August next year. The names of the clubs have not yet been revealed.
The 3 teams from Spain will first play against a local team that will be from one of the members of ASEAN. There will be an open bidding between ASEAN members to host the event and the host nation will have a team that will play the Spanish clubs. The long term plan of the tournament is to spread Spanish football to all corners of the world as the process will initially start from the heart of Asia.
Spanish La Liga has long been one of the most popular leagues in world. Moreover, the fact that Spain recently won the World Cup has also got a lot to do with improving the passion for Spanish football in Asia.
Seno Roca said that this is a revolutionary development in terms of coordination between European football and Asia. Roca said that steps like these will go a long way towards helping the Asian countries come to the forefront of world football. He added that Spanish football is trying to enhance its reach and get into the depths of Asian football. Roca said that this initiative will help promote Spanish teams and players to every corner of the world starting from Asia.
Roca went on to say that the Spanish La Liga has a lot to offer to the world and Asia is a great place to start the expansion of the game to different corners of the world.
Football events director at Mediapro Segi Vieta said that he was also very excited about the new initiative and would stand side by side with Roca and the ASEAN authorities in the development of this project.
He said that what Barcelona achieved in the 2009/10 season was phenomenal. Winning 6 trophies in one season is unheard of and it did capture the imagination of many across the world. Segi Vieta added that now that Spain has won the world cup, it is the best time to introduce Spanish football to the rest of the world. Vieta went on to say that the concept of LFP International Cup is a unique one and something that will start a new tradition in football. He said that he has no doubt that other leagues like the English Premier League and the Italian Seri-A will also follow the footsteps of Spanish football.
It was great news for the Asian football fans, who adore icons such as David Villa, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But Roca said that till date, clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia are not on board with this plan. He added that talks are underway and hopefully by next year, Mediapro will be able to convince the big names to be part of this wonderful project.
La Liga Chief Executive Francisco Roca went on to say that football fans in Asia idolise players in the Spanish league and it will not take much to pursue the big teams to join the project. He added that clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid have always been making tours to Asia and know the importance of tapping into these markets.
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