KOCHI: Football fans in the state will get yet another taste of high-quality international football when Spanish top division side Girona FC and Australian A-League club Melbourne City FC visit Kochi to play LaLiga World from July 24 to 28.
Modeled on the likes of the International Champions Cup which sees the world’s top clubs play each other across the globe as part of their preparation for a new season, the LaLiga World will also see the participation of Kochi-based ISL franchise Kerala Blasters FC.
“I can see the passion of Indians for football and LaLiga clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona. This will be an opportunity for them to catch top teams like Girona play their local side,” said former Spain and Madrid striker Fernando Morientes who unveiled the tournament here on Tuesday. Jose Antonio Cachaza, country manager for LaLiga, said Kerala is the ideal location for the first edition of the tournament which the organisers plan to make an annual event.
“I watched the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Kochi and was impressed by the number of fans and their knowledge of the game. We want to make the Spanish league and football more popular in the country by bringing world’s top clubs here,” said Cachaza.
Girona will be the second team from Europe’s top five leagues to play in India after English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion played a friendly match against Delhi Dynamos FC in 2016. Girona, promoted to LaLiga last year, finished 10th and recorded a 2-1 victory over European champions Real Madrid in October. Melbourne, meanwhile, are a sister club of English champions Manchester City.
Blasters will play Melbourne on July 24 at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium while Girona will take on the club from Down Under on July 27. The final match will see the hosts face the Spanish visitors on July 28.Tickets are priced from Rs 275 and will be available through PayTM and Insider.in.