FC Barcelona shuts down the youth academies across India

FC Barcelona has decided to shut down all its academies in India after operating for more than 14 years in the country.

Barca started the operations to train the youth in their famous ‘La Masia’ (youth academy) style in 2010. However, FC Barcelona didn’t provide any official reason for the immediate closure of the academies here in India

The club was functioning in 4 cities in India - Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Pune and will cease to exit the country from July 1st.

“FC Barcelona has informed the families involved in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Pune will cease to operate as Barca Academies from 1 July 2024," the club said in a statement which it uploaded on its website.

Barca Academy India was one of the largest grassroots football training and development initiatives in India.

It provided an exclusive opportunity for players in the age bracket of 4-17 years to learn the methodology and values from the unmatched Barça style and philosophy.

"Furthermore, India was the venue for two Barca Academy APAC tournaments in 2019 and 2020 and the academies have been ever present in the 11 editions of the Barca Academy World Cup held in Barcelona during Easter Week," the club added.

The academy followed similar training and routine which were engrossed into the likes of Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Piqué, and many others.