Maybe Oliver Mintzlaff was paying lip service. But it doesn’t hurt to dream. An Indian player could attract interest from a European club someday, the RB Leipzig CEO said on November 12, when he and Akshay Tandon, President, FC Goa, announced a partnership to the media on Zoom.
“There are 1.4 billion people in India,” Mintzlaff said. “Surely the talent is there. With the right coaching and process, there could be talent that could be interesting to European clubs.”
India is currently 108 in the Fifa rankings. For decades, patrons and fans of the sport have yearned for improvement. If a country could be a twice Asian gold medalist in the middle of the 20th century, why has it been mostly downhill since?
The efforts to take Indian football ahead continue. Joining hands with foreign clubs is one way to at least learn from the best.
“Our goal is developing Indian football and creating pathways to success for young footballers,” said Tandon. “We will see it as a success when Indian footballers start playing at the highest level. ”
Tandon said they decided to go with Leipzig because other famous clubs “came with a lot of baggage.”
Besides, the Indian ambassador to Germany, Mukta Dutta Tomar, suggested to Tandon that he approach Leipzig, with whom Dutta Tomar had had a meeting.
“I was in Germany in connection with some business matters when I happened to have a meeting with the Indian ambassador to Germany (Dutta Tomar),” Tandon said. “She spoke to me about a meeting she had with RB Leipzig only a few days back and suggested that I connect with the club to explore an opportunity.”
Currently, there is no money involved in the deal, Tandon said. Asked about a future investment from Leipzig, he said, “It is important to take it a step at a time. to find a rhythm, to work together in a collaborative manner.”
One example of that was when FC Goa's assistant coach, Clifford Miranda, visited the Leipzig facilities as part of a module to complete his two-year AFC Pro Diploma Coaching Course.
At one point, a German journalist asked Mintzlaff if Goa’s beaches were a reason for them choosing to partner with FC Goa. Mintzlaff declined, and said that FC Goa was in fact a great recommendation by the Indian ambassador even from the sporting standpoint. Also, he said that it was important for Leipzig to have a footprint beyond Germany. “Two or three years later we may even send the A-team to India,” Mintzlaff said.
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