Without Kolkata, SRK turns down football offers
Khan, who co-owns Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), regretted his subjection to own the Kolkata franchise for the high-profile football tournament, which includes stars like Abhishek Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and John Abraham as team co-owners.
“It’s very unfortunate and sad for me... I very much wanted to be part of the ISL and own a football team. But there was no way that I could have Kolkata. And if I can’t have Kolkata, then I am not playing football for any other city or state,” Khan said.
The actor revealed how he tried to persuade people to allow him to bid for city Kolkata franchise, which eventually went to a consortium comprising, among others, former team India and KKR skipper Sourav Ganguly.
Owned by Kolkata Games and Sports Pvt Ltd, the Kolkata franchise has been christened Atletico de Kolkata. “I remember I met everyone but could not get Kolkata. I was offered every other team but I said, No I don’t want it. If I don’t get Kolkata as the football team, then I don’t want to play football in my life,” said Khan on a whirlwind trip to the city on Wednesday to promote his latest Bollywood release Happy New Year”.
A self-confessed football fan, Khan said he took to IPL because he was told the cricket league would subsequently diversify to football, “I took to IPL because I was told that it will later extend into soccer and I love football. If you love football, you have to play for Kolkata and no other city. All my love to Mumbai because I am from there, my love to Delhi because I was born there but the team to back is Kolkata,” said Khan calling Kolkata his ‘home town’.
While sad at not owning it, Khan asserted the Kolkata team was in the more deserving hands of Ganguly. “Even today when I was flying down here, I felt sad that I don’t have Kolkata. But it is in better hands than me when Dada (Ganguly) is doing it. Dada is more deserving and I wish him and rest of the owners all the best and hope they win the championship.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 31st, 2014.
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I can understand his emotions but he should have gone with Delhi....!!!
This guy should have bought his janambhumi team.. Delhi dynamos.. Fans could have at least turned for him which is always half filled. Yesterday it seemed Delhi was Guwahati city as 70 % of the jam packed crowd was from the north east India. North east united fc vs Delhi. Hmm