Portuguese Football Federation looking to venture on Indian shores
Portuguese Football Federation (PFF) is looking out to venture on Indian shores and expand their market in Asia. They are keen to explore Indian markets and make suitable partnerships with Indian football administrators and want to bank on the 'Cristiano Ronaldo' factor to grab attention.
Spanish football has already influenced India with a plethora of players migrating to the Asian country to ply their trade. On the other hand, clubs like Atletico de Madrid and Feyenoord have previously joined hand with Indian sides, while FC Basel has recently had a tie-up with current I-League champions Chennai City FC.Â
Meanwhile, the Croatian Football Federation (CFF) is also likely to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the All India Football Federation (AIFF). As reports suggest, the Portuguese PFF is aiming the Indian football market for an expansion in the Asian territory. The European nation already had three partners in China.
A top official of the PFF admitted that International football is very popular in India due to its extensive coverage of English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and the Serie A. Even if the Portuguese league is not one of the top leagues in the world, he feels that the presence of youth icon Cristiano Ronaldo will help them grab attention.
"The Portuguese league is not among the top leagues of the world but we have the most popular footballer of the world – Cristiano Ronaldo. We certainly want to tie up with India," said Portuguese Football Federation's Chief Commercial Officer Diarmuid Crowley as per reports of Outlookindia.com.
Portugal is the current UEFA Euro Cup champion and recently won the UEFA Cup of Nations League.