India is a land of opportunity, says Manchester City CEO Soriano

Jamshedpur, January 6: Manchester City FC CEO Ferran Soriano has termed India as a "land of opportunity" and remains keen to tap into the growing football market in India.

#MCFC CEO Ferran Soriano makes an exploratory visit to India and admits it’s a market in which the City Football Group could invest in the future https://t.co/qCtc2J7ydI

— James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker) January 5, 2018

Soriano, who is also the CEO for City Football Group that owns six football clubs across continents, witnessed live action in the Hero Indian Super League during Jamshedpur FC's home encounter against Mumbai City FC on Friday and was pleased with what he saw. Soriano is accompanied by three of Man City officials for a three day visit to India.

.@ManCity CEO Ferran Soriano is here in Jamshedpur to attend #JAMMUM!#LetsFootball #HeroISL pic.twitter.com/P9F15HBPFc

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) January 5, 2018

Sounding optimistic on the rapid development of Indian football and the growth of India as a football market, the 50-year-old Spanish CEO said he is "very positive on Indian football."

“We have a lot of interest in the development of Indian football and we’re going to be here for a few days.” @ManCity CEO Ferran Soriano was in Jamshedpur last night for a reason!

Read his full interview 👇🏼#LetsFootball #HeroISL #JAMMUMhttps://t.co/xVkL7uUhRH

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) January 6, 2018

"We think India is a major opportunity for football because there is talent and passion and we are very positive about the development of football in the country. That's why we are here. We want to watch some ISL games, meet people and want to see players," said Soriano whose company owns clubs like MLS New York City FC, A League's Melbourne City and Premier Leagues Manchester City FC.

"There is talent, there is passion - we are very positive about the development of football in India. This is why we're here."@ManCity CEO Ferran Soriano spoke on the passion for football in India, importance of a coach, & fostering young talent.#LetsFootball #JAMMUM #HeroISL pic.twitter.com/ULnQFoIDRF

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) January 5, 2018

Invited by Tata Steel, owners of Jamshedpur FC, Soriano was impressed with the atmosphere at the JRD Tata Stadium in Jamshedpur.

.@ManCity CEO Ferran Soriano with Sunil Bhaskaran of Tata Steel Limited inside the @JamshedpurFC dressing room ahead of the match. #LetsFootball #JAMMUM #HeroISL pic.twitter.com/5Uujr07qOB

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) January 5, 2018

"This is spectacular. Atmosphere is great and we saw some very good football. I am very impressed.

"I think this is a land of opportunity. There is enough evidence that India has talent and they can be coached to get to the top. For Indian talent to grow, coaching is very important. You need good coaches to come to India who can also coach other coaches here," he said.

(Source: ISL Media)