Learn football, the Barca way

This is not the first time when the Spanish giants Barcelona have been to India. Earlier this year, club president Joan Laporta visited Bathalapalli, a small village in Andhra Pradesh, to inaugurate the FC Barcelona Academy in association with an Anantapur-based NGO, reports Anupma Tripathi.

This is not the first time when the Spanish giants Barcelona FC have been to India. Earlier this year, club president Joan Laporta visited Bathalapalli, a small village in Andhra Pradesh, to inaugurate the FC Barcelona Academy in association with an Anantapur-based NGO.

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This time around, it's the FC Barcelona Soccer School which is trying to connect with Indian fans.

The School will conduct a football clinic for children between 10 and 14 years of age from Friday through Sunday at the Ambedkar Stadium. Around 30 kids selected by the AIFF will participate in the event.

The three-day event will also include training for aspiring coaches from India short-listed by the AIFF. Guillermo Oriol Gil, one of the three coaches here, said: It is good to be in India. There is a huge support for Barca in Asia, and this will be a great opportunity for us to reach out to enthusiasts."

Gil, who had also turned out for youth teams of Villarreal and Barcelona, was also amazed at their burgeoning fan base in India. "I have never come across Indian football. I am a bit surprised to receive this kind of response. Honestly, I didn't expect that, but I am really looking forward to meeting the kids and train them over the next two days.

Ivan Palanco Santiago, a 2nd level qualified coach from Barca, too sounded upbeat about the camp. "This is my first stay here and I am looking forward to training the kids. It's too hot. But, we'll be able to pull it off.”