La Liga President Javier Tebas officially inaugurated the operational base of the Spanish football league in India here on Thursday.
La Liga will set up its office in New Delhi - their third in Asia - with a focus on popularising the league in the country.
Reports suggest he Spanish league may host exhibition matches involving big names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale.
La Liga president Javier Tebas charted out a road map that will include similar aforementioned exhibition matches, player visits and development programmes at the grassroots level in India during the official launch of Spain's premier league here
India is the sixth international operational base for the La Liga, the top division of Spanish football. La Liga has already established operational bases in the United States, South Africa, Dubai, Nigeria and China.
Indian fans, who normally get to watch the La Liga matches late at night, will now be able to watch these games at prime time in late evening.
Tebas was excited about the opening of this new office and the impact it will have for La Liga.
"It means a lot; this is one of the most important days in LaLiga's history. Being present in India is very important to us. We have been working hard towards this for a while and have even made changes to kick-off times with Indian fans in mind," Tebas said.
"I want to highlight the efforts of Sony, our broadcaster in this country. We've got to grow together if we are to become the best. I hope that our new office will enable us to achieve our dreams."
"We want to share our knowledge with India's young people and we will also be contributing to training coaches. That will play an important role for us and the future of Indian football alike."
The programme seeks to increase the popularity of the Spanish football league and Spanish clubs in India.
Tebas was joined at the opening ceremony by La Liga's managing director of international development Vicente Casado and by former Spain striker Fernando Morientes who is the ambassador of the league in India.
Also in attendance were the Spanish ambassador to India, Magdalena Cruz and the Secretary General of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Kushal Das.
The statistical information relating to football in India reflects the considerable social interest in the sport throughout the nation.
The average profile of football viewers evidences the market's massive potential for growth.
In total, 75 percent of the football viewing audience in India are aged between 18 and 44, with over 85 percent of them students or trained professionals with high purchasing power.
IANS inputs
