Messi, Argentina set to play in India
The FIFA-sanctioned games are scheduled for September 2 in Kolkata and Dhaka, Bangladesh on September 6.
NEW DEHLI:
Lionel Messi and his Argentina team mates will travel to India later this year to take on Venezuela in a friendly designed to boost football on the subcontinent, a report said Tuesday.
The FIFA-sanctioned games are scheduled for September 2 in the eastern city of Kolkata and then Dhaka, Bangladesh on September 6 where they will take on Nigeria, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
"The Argentina Football Association has indeed signed a contract to bring in the full-strength squad including Messi and Carlos Tevez among others. The contract guarantees their participation," Bhaskar Goswami of the Celebrity Management Group was quoted by PTI.
The Argentina squad will arrive in Kolkata on August 30 and will take part in a number of events, including a charity programme and a football clinic for children during a four-day stay.
It was unclear if world player of the year Messi, whose club side Barcelona begin their La Liga title defence the day before, would fly out with his Argentina team mates or join the tour later.
Football is yet to take off in cricket mad India despite enjoying considerable success in the 1950s and 1960s when they won two Asian Games gold medals.
The size of its population and the associated commercial potential has long seen it regarded as one of the great untapped markets for the sport.
Top European clubs including Bayern Munich have visited India in the past to play exhibition matches in a bid to build on the interest in the game in the country of 1.2 billion people.
Lionel Messi and his Argentina team mates will travel to India later this year to take on Venezuela in a friendly designed to boost football on the subcontinent, a report said Tuesday.
The FIFA-sanctioned games are scheduled for September 2 in the eastern city of Kolkata and then Dhaka, Bangladesh on September 6 where they will take on Nigeria, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
"The Argentina Football Association has indeed signed a contract to bring in the full-strength squad including Messi and Carlos Tevez among others. The contract guarantees their participation," Bhaskar Goswami of the Celebrity Management Group was quoted by PTI.
The Argentina squad will arrive in Kolkata on August 30 and will take part in a number of events, including a charity programme and a football clinic for children during a four-day stay.
It was unclear if world player of the year Messi, whose club side Barcelona begin their La Liga title defence the day before, would fly out with his Argentina team mates or join the tour later.
Football is yet to take off in cricket mad India despite enjoying considerable success in the 1950s and 1960s when they won two Asian Games gold medals.
The size of its population and the associated commercial potential has long seen it regarded as one of the great untapped markets for the sport.
Top European clubs including Bayern Munich have visited India in the past to play exhibition matches in a bid to build on the interest in the game in the country of 1.2 billion people.