Kolkata (West Bengal): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is leaving for Europe on Tuesday with an aim to bring investment in the state's industrial sector.
Former India captain and ex-BCCI president Sourav Ganguly will accompany the Chief Minister on this visit. Ganguly will join Mamata from London. Also, the mandarins of the three football giants — Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting — of Kolkata are going on this tour of Europe with Mamata. Besides the industry, the Chief Minister is also mulling investment in football.
Spain's domestic football league, La Liga Corporativo, has released its schedule for the current week on social media in which the meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, September 14 has been scheduled. The meeting will be held in Madrid.
The 'Spanish touch' was introduced to Indian football 10 years ago with the kickstart of the Indian Super League (ISL). The then ATK (Atletico de Kolkata) franchise made their ISL debut with a collaboration with La Liga giants Atletico Madrid. Sourav Ganguly was also on the board of directors of Atletico de Kolkata.
However, after the first few seasons, the honeymoon for both parties ended and Atletico de Kolkata after a few changes of hands was merged with Mohun Bagan to be called the Mohun Bagan Super Giant. In that case, if the three major clubs of Kolkata somehow join a strategic partnership with clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Getafe, and Sevilla, Indian football will benefit hugely at the end of the day.
Therefore, apart from Sourav Ganguly, Debashis Dutta (Mohun Bagan Secretary), Rupak Shah (East Bengal Assistant Secretary) and Istiaq Ahmed Raju (Mohammedan Sporting Secretary) will be present in the meeting in Madrid with the Chief Minister. Mamata Banerjee also mentioned the matter in a press conference at Nabanna on Monday.
The Chief Minister said that Sourav will directly join them in Madrid from London. At the same time, she has assured to be ready for a surprise for the Bengali football fans.
Also read: La Liga: Late goals help Real Madrid to home win over Valladolid; Sevilla's problems continue
