NEW DELHI: Sudeva International, which ownes and operates Delhi-based football club Sudeva Moonlight FC, a club which played in the I-League second division in 2017, has bought a controlling 85% stake in Spanish fourth division side CD Olimpic de Xativa.
Situated in Xativa, 25 minutes from the city of Valencia, the club plays in the Tercera division (LaLiga, Liga 2 and Segunda Division B are the top three tiers of Spanish football). There are a total of 18 regional groups in Tercera division. Each group has 20 to 21 clubs, with the total number of clubs in the league being 364 across the 18 groups.
For the record, this is the second instance of an Indian buying a Spanish football club. In 2011, businessman Ahsan Ali Syed bought an 80% share in then LaLiga outfit Racing Santander, Hindustan Times reports. Syed’s acquisition has been bad news Racing Santander as the team is currently playing in the Segunda Division B.
Anuj Gupta, co-founder of Sudeva, said their aim is to see that Xativa progress to the Segunda Division B. “We have our sights on progressing to the Segunda Division B. This club has a rich past and played Real Madrid in Copa Del Rey in 2013. We want to maintain it,” he told HT.
Another reason for buying Olimpic Xativa in particular was that the club was a registered company and not an association, like most other Spanish clubs, Gupta told news website Scroll.in.
Olimpic Xativa also has its own stadium – the 9000-capacity Campo de Fútbol La Murta.
The Indian owners also plan to take Indian U-13, U-15, U-18 players to train in the club located in eastern Spain. “Our youth team coaches will be in India in July. We are planning to take 30 players every year to Spain. Out of those, 30 percent (9 players) will be given scholarship by us. Their education will also be funded,” Gupta told HT.
Gupta also plans to bid for an I-League spot via corporate entry, if and when the All India Football Federation invites entries for the new season later this year.
Sudeva was started in 2014, by Gupta and Vijay Hakari, and bought Moonlight FC, a Delhi senior division club. The club also runs a residential academy in the Delhi-NCR region and also fields teams in the Under-18, U-15 and U-13 categories.
“By acquiring a club that has a 1st team, a reserve team, three U-19, two U-16 and multiple U-15 teams, Sudeva can now offer Indian players an established platform and gateway to Spanish football that will take them far beyond the current horizon of summer camps in Europe,” the club stated.
According to the club statement, “This acquisition is not just a step towards making Sudeva an international club but a step towards building a road map that for Indian football to fully integrate with our sport at a global level.”
Tyhe statement further reads: “Sudeva’s plan ensures that a minimum of 35-40 matches will be played by each player, irrespective of which team he represents, in the course of a single season. Not only is this a great platform for player, but, it also allows for an exchange of knowledge, skills and practice at the coaching level. Indian and Spanish coaches, as well as other international talent, will find plenty of opportunity to work together in a professional, structured environment through workshops, training camps and the full season.
“Finally, strengthening this channel affords the chance for increased representation of Indian players in Spanish Leagues and vice-versa wherein Spanish players will also play in the ISL and I-League.”
