Champagne wants the Premier League to invest in Indian football The FIFA Presidential hopeful spoke volumes about how the development of domestic leagues around the world by superior leagues would help all in football... FIFA Presidential candidate Jerome Champagne wishes to see the biggest and best league play their hands at philanthropy and help in funding developing leagues around the globe. Champagne elucidated that the English Premier League (EPL), which earned a tidy sum from Indian television rights, should lead the procession and earmark an amount specifically for the development of the Indian I-League, whilst speaking to the website The Set Pieces. “I follow the Premier League, but at the same time I would like them to give something back. They make $40m from Indian TV rights, so why not hand back a little chunk to the Indian league? That’s about solidarity, that’s about justice, that’s about fairness. “I know that there are a lot of people [in England] who feel this responsibility. We cannot only wish to sell jerseys abroad. We take and then we give. One day there will be Indian players playing in the Premier League,” revealed the Presidential candidate, on his personal mission to see leagues around the world develop. It must be noted that the Premier League already has a relationship with the Indian Super League (ISL) which will allow the latter to leverage the renowned leagues expertise in building a high quality football competition. The Premier League also conducted its second international Live event which offered fans in India the opportunity to watch live matches broadcast on a giant 380-square-ft screen; meet legends of the Premier League and get up close with the iconic Premier League Trophy last December in Mumbai. Explaining his views further, Champagne expounded, “Let’s take India. I would propose that a task force for India is set up and money is put in together from FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the larger associations. In a country like India, the Premier League is in a good position to lead. I would have no problem with putting that money under the authority and leadership of the Premier League. They know the market.” He concluded by adding that he hopes to see a lot of action be put to the task, rather than see just pretty reports being published regarding the matter. “At the same time, we have to do in a way where we’re not just trying to sell Chelsea jerseys. We need transparency, joint decisions. We can create that system. What I want to avoid is what we have now: we send delegations, we do nice reports and then nothing happens. I think there are enough generous, intelligent people in the Premier League who understand that the growth of local football in places like India would be good for the growth of the Premier League in India. It’s a game where everyone can benefit,” concluded Champagne on the issue.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 04:54:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015