Friday, 19th September, 2014
Freddie Ljungberg is hoping that through his stint in the Indian Super League he can inspire more people to take up football in India.
The former Arsenal star announced yesterday that he has signed for ISL outfit Mumbai City FC, one of the eight franchises in the tournament.
The new league is slated to start next month and already boasts footballers such as Nicolas Anelka, who also signed for the Mumbai franchise, and Alessandro Del Piero.
The Mumbai franchise will be coached by the former Sunderland manager Peter Reid and FC Goa will be under the stewardship of Brazilian legend Zico.
Ljungberg revealed that in the past a number of clubs approached him to resume his playing career, but he took up the offer from the ISL franchise as he is excited to promote a new league in a country where football is not the most popular sport.
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“I’ve been approached a lot of times to come back and play football in different leagues”, the Swede told Arsenal’s official site.
“This is more to promote a totally new league.”
Ljungberg compared his new venture in India with his time in the MLS at Seattle Saunders and said that he is eager to learn about a completely different culture. He is also keen to promote the game in India and play a small part in developing a new football culture in the country.
“It’s a bit like what I did when I was in America – and I felt like I grew as a human being there. I hope I will do the same thing when I go to India. It’s a different culture and for me it’s a chance to give something back to football.
“Our job is to inspire people to play a bit more football and see that we care and that they don’t just have to watch it on the television.”
The ISL, which will be held from 12th October to 20th December, is the brainchild of the All India Football Federation and their commercial partner IMG Reliance.
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