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Real, Barca, Rafa game for India
The world's football champions, Spain, are preparing to set foot in India to take the country's fans by storm.
The world's football champions, Spain, are preparing to set foot in India to take the country's fans by storm.
With plans to open football schools and play exhibition matches, newly appointed Spanish ambassador to India Gustavo De Aristegui said, "India is a top-notch priority for Spain" while conversing with Maharashtra governor K Sankarnarayanan on Monday.
The envoy said football clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona would open schools in India and would play a couple of matches for Indian audiences.
For tennis buffs, Rafael Nadal would play an exhibition game in Mumbai, said a Raj Bhavan press release on Tuesday.
The ambassador informed the governor that a high-level ministerial delegation led by King Juan Carlos I will be arriving in India on a four-day visit in October during which the king will also meet top business leaders in Mumbai.
"Many Spanish companies are already working in India... One of our companies has won the contract for the Mumbai Metro," said Aristegui.
Other initiatives on the canvas: a Spanish cultural centre in Mumbai, business schools across India and a consulate in Chennai.
"We see India as a great power and wish to have greater economic presence in the region," he said.
