Friday, 17th October, 2014



Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has backed the inaugural Indian Super League (ISL) to be a huge success in India.

The eight-team tournament kicked off last Sunday at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, with the home team Atletico de Kolkata comprehensively beating Mumbai City FC 3-0.




And Wenger, who is aware that cricket and badminton are the two main sports in India, feels the ISL will provide the necessary impetus to popularise football in the country.

The Frenchman further compared the tournament to MLS, which helped football to grow in the United States.
 


“If you look at the history of football, it has always become quicker and it looks like it grows everywhere. It's like a virus that multiplies, so I don't imagine that it won't take off”, Wenger told his club’s official site.  

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“It took a while in the United States but it's now very popular. It faces cricket in India but there's always room for a second sport.

“There's only really badminton and cricket in India at the moment but there's room for another sport.

“I know that the people there watch the Premier League and I'm convinced that with such a huge population, it will take off.”

Five former Arsenal players, namely Robert Pires, Freddie Ljungberg, Nicolas Anelka, Mikel Silvestre and Andre Santos are participating in the first edition of the competition, which Atletico de Kolakata are currently leading after winning their first two games.

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