ISL: FC Goa announce partnership with Bundesliga side RB Leipzig

After months of intense speculation, Indian Super League (ISL) outfit FC Goa have today announced a long-term tie strategic co-operation with up and coming European football powerhouse and Bundesliga heavyweights RB Leipzig. The Gaurs’ collaboration with the German club will mark the beginning of RB Leipzig’s ‘internationalization’ strategy having firmly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in Europe.

Founded in 2009, RB Leipzig is one of those clubs which have a strong network in the global football business owing to their proximity to Red Bull. The energy drink company owns a number of clubs in Europe, North and South America and over the past few years, their clubs have been home to a number of emerging superstars like Sadio Mane, Naby Keita and Timo Werner.

Leipzig is probably the most illustrious of them having achieved promotion to the Bundesliga from the fifth division of German football in just 7 years. Today, they are UEFA Champions League regulars and just a few days back, they beat Paris Saint-Germain in a group stage match. Joining hands with FC Goa therefore makes a lot of sense considering the sporting culture in the state and the fact that Juan Ferrando’s side is going to be the first Indian club to qualify for the group stage of the AFC Champions League next season.

https://twitter.com/RBLeipzig_EN/status/1326796718093045760

The partnership is going to be a technical collaboration that will initially run till June 2023 with scope for an extension beyond that. This will be the first time that RB Leipzig will be active in a different continent, something that all big European clubs are well-versed with. The main focus of the partnership will be to train and develop young Indian talent and provide them opportunities to test themselves abroad when the time comes. Due to the ongoing pandemic, this will be started off through online camps and tutorials until on-site programmes can be feasibly arranged.

Another major cornerstone of the collaboration is going to be the support provided to take the instructional set-up forward as well as exchange of information in terms of realigning the junior and sub-junior setup keeping the club’s long-term vision in mind. The growth of Indian football and the Indian Super League (ISL) over the last decade and the viability of utilising this market have been key factors in Leipzig’s decision to enter the Indian football space.

This move comes off the back of more such collaborations in the recent past like Minerva Punjab’s (now Punjab FC) partnership with Borussia Monchengladbach, Hyderabad FC’s tie-ups with Borussia Dortmund and Marbella FC and of course City Football Group’s takeover at Mumbai City FC.