FC Midtjylland har i mange år scoutet unge talenter i Nigeria, men nu vil den jyske superligaklub udvide med et fodboldakademi i Indien, hvor klubbens storinvestor, Shrinivas Dempo, stammer fra. Han ejer 34 procent af aktierne i FC Midtjylland.
Akademiet kommer til at ligge i den turistprægede og relativt velstående delstat Goa på Indiens sydvestlige kyst, skriver Tipsbladet på sit website mandag.
Dempo forventer, at myndighederne i Goa giver tilladelse til projektet indenfor de næste tre til fire måneder.
“FC Midtjylland har udarbejdet en plan for, hvordan akademiet skal køres. 50 procent af finansieringen kommer fra den danske klub, mens vi tager os af de sidste 50 procent, siger Dempo til “Goal”.
FC Midtjyllands ordførende direktør Claus Steinlein siger til Herning Folkeblad, at “akademiet skal finansieres over de næste fem år, og vi forventer at komme i gang i 2014”.
Akademiet er projekteret til at have mellem 35-50 elever, men Shrinivas Dempo forventer at begynde med 15.
Nationalsporten i det toneangivende nordlige Indien er kricket, mens fodbold har sin største udbredelse i kæmpelandets sydlige del.
Indien er blandt verdens førende kricket-nationer, men har aldrig vundet nogen titel i international fodbold.
Til gengæld ser millioner af indere engelsk Premier League fodbold på TV weekend efter weekend, hvilket – sammen med høje seertal i resten af Asien – bidrager til at gøre denne liga til den mest sete af alle i et globalt perspektiv.
Flere asiatiske rigmænd har bl.a. derfor købt sig ind i store engelske klubber.
Mere om Shrinivas Dempo på
http://www.dempos.com/shrinivas_dempo_profile.htm
Den indiske partnerklub
(fra Wikipedia)
Dempo Sports Club is a football club based in Panjim, Goa. The club is owned and sponsored by the Dempo group of companies.
Popularly known as ‘the whites’, the team has been a constant performer in all the national football championship and gained immensely popularity in the last four decades of its existence.
The team has several accolades and honors in its kitty. In the 2004–05 season, the club won its maiden National Football League title. They won the league again in the 2006–2007 season and followed it with the two I-League triumphs in 2006–07 in its inaugural version and then in 2009–2010.
Many famous players of the national football team of the country have once been associated with this team. Players of prominence on the team include Indian nationals Climax Lawrence, Clifford Miranda, Mahesh Gawli and foreign players like Ranty Martins Soleye of Nigeria, Beto of Brazil and striker Billy Mehmet of England. The head coach of the club is Arthur Papas.
History of Dempo S.C.
Dempo Sports Club started out as Dempo Souza Football Club in 1961 and was taken over when they made the company their own Dempo Corporation around that time. The club was started by Michael deSouza and the logo and colours that the club wears currently was what he had chosen for the team.
The club won their first Goan Senior League title in 1972. The club then won their first ever national pan-India tournament in 1975 by winning the Rovers Cup. The club then won the Rovers Cup again in 1978. The club defended their title one year later in 1979. Their first double.
Dempo then entered the “Golden-Age” during the 1980s. Dempo won a host of small cups and they also won the Rovers Cup again in 1986 by beating historic club Mohun Bagan. The club also won the Goan League in 1986 and 1987.
The club then won their first international cup in Malé against New Radiant SC. The club then won the Rovers Cup again by beating Mohun Bagan again. The club were then one of the original 12 teams in the National Football League in 1996.
The club then got relegated (nedrykket) in 1999–2000 but got promoted the very next season and then the club won their first NFL championship in 2004. Dempo played in AFC competition in 2008 during the 2008 AFC Cup, Dempo ended as semi-finalist.
Dempo then won the first I-League season in 2007–08. They did it again in 2009–10 and 2011–12.
Crest
The Dempo Sports Club crest is the official logo for Dempo Corporations sports clubs that it owns. The logo includes the words Goa (name of the state Dempo is based in) and Dempo Sports Club (team name). The logo also includes a picture of a golden bird in the middle of the crest.
Colours
The official colours of Dempo Sports Club are Blue and White. Ever since their creation Dempo’s home colours have always involved blue, mainly with the shirts while the shorts were always either blue or black.
The away colours were always all white but then in 2011 when Dempo unveiled their away kit the shirt had black stripes on it. The shorts however remain the same.
Stadium
As of 2011 Dempo SC has been playing its football at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao, Goa. Fatorda Stadium opened in 1989 and Dempo SC has been using it since for all its I-League matches.
There have been rumors however that state that Dempo SC could soon very well create its own stadium in Panjim, Goa although not much has been released on the subject.
Ownership and Finances
At the moment Dempo Sports Club’s main sponsor and owner is Dempo Mining Corporation Limited. The club has been owned by Dempo since their creation.
As part of the sponsorship from Dempo the club also named itself Dempo Sports Club and is classed as an institutional club in that case.
The finances given to the club are very limited which meant that the club was forced to spend less on infrastructure and proven players and spend more on local youth development.
