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Post by Macmoish on May 25, 2013 7:59:51 GMT
www.indianfootballnetwork.com/blog/2013/05/24/queens-park-rangers-to-own-a-club-in-the-indian-football-league/ Queens Park Rangers to own a club in the Indian Football League It has been learnt that Chennai may get its first I-League club holding the hands of the English club Queens Park Rangers also called QPR. The AIFF has extended the deadline for the new bidders till 27th of May and the result would be announced on the very day along with the new club names. Chennai based club may be renamed as the Chennai Rangers FC. QPR will be owning this club along with the latest entrant in the Indian aviation Air Asia. The Air Asia owner Tony Fernandez has confirmed that they will be submitting their bid to own an I-League club. According to Mr Prafull Patel, the league may see as many as 4 new franchisee teams from 4 different cities. These are the Dodsal group owned Mumbai Tigers (Mumbai), Air Asia & QPR (Chennai), Eagles FC (Kochi) and Jindal group (Bangalore).
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Post by Bushman on May 25, 2013 8:26:59 GMT
www.indianfootballnetwork.com/blog/2013/05/24/queens-park-rangers-to-own-a-club-in-the-indian-football-league/ Queens Park Rangers to own a club in the Indian Football League It has been learnt that Chennai may get its first I-League club holding the hands of the English club Queens Park Rangers also called QPR. The AIFF has extended the deadline for the new bidders till 27th of May and the result would be announced on the very day along with the new club names. Chennai based club may be renamed as the Chennai Rangers FC. QPR will be owning this club along with the latest entrant in the Indian aviation Air Asia. The Air Asia owner Tony Fernandez has confirmed that they will be submitting their bid to own an I-League club. According to Mr Prafull Patel, the league may see as many as 4 new franchisee teams from 4 different cities. These are the Dodsal group owned Mumbai Tigers (Mumbai), Air Asia & QPR (Chennai), Eagles FC (Kochi) and Jindal group (Bangalore). I would imagine he can't wait to get the brand going out there and then after a season or two. Fernandes " I f***** up"
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Post by blueeyedcptcook on May 25, 2013 9:14:56 GMT
Their strip will be all Red.
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Post by sharky on May 25, 2013 10:23:40 GMT
Maybe we can send Bosingwa there ;D
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Dave Sexton
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Post by ingham on May 25, 2013 11:15:40 GMT
;D
Just learn to pass the ball.
Pay the debts.
And balance the books.
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Post by Jon Doeman on May 25, 2013 11:19:11 GMT
Maybe we can send Bosingwa there ;D LOL ;D
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Post by canadaranger on May 25, 2013 12:20:25 GMT
At least the team won't be based in the Indian City of Lowan...
(Hi Ho Silver!)
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Post by Macmoish on May 27, 2013 8:00:06 GMT
MAIL
Queens Park Rangers to bid for new Chennai-based I-League team By SOUMALAYA SANTIKARIPUBLISHED: 18:48 EST, 26 May 2013 | UPDATED: 18:48 EST, 26 May 2013 0 View comments Queens Park Rangers owner Tony Fernandes hopes to invest in the I-League The 2013-14 season of the I-League could see the entry of an English club - Queens Park Rangers - as it bids for a new team. The English club's majority stakeholder, Tony Fernandes, has reportedly held talks with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel and told him that his club would bid on Monday, which is the last possible day. The team is expected to be based in Chennai and as indicated by the AIFF earlier, all the bidders can get the spots next season. Last week, the AIFF decided to issue fresh tender notices and the technical evaluation committee will take a decision on the selection of the teams. Although the English club got relegated from the English Premier League, Fernandes would be keen to help the club get a foothold in the Indian sub-continent. Six companies - GMR Group, UAEbased Indian firm Dodsal, JSW, Eagles FC, Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services and SE TransStadia - had earlier bought the Request For Proposal (RFP) document. The emergency committee meeting of the AIFF is also scheduled to be held on Monday and a host of other topics like the formats of the I-League and the Federation Cup will be discussed there. There has been a strong clamour for changes in the I-League format in the AIFF circles, following budgetary strains in conducting the league and there are indications that the parent body may divide the teams in it into two groups. According to the sources, next season could see a 16-team I-League and four of them will be the new ones. The format of the Federation Cup is also expected to be tweaked and the tournament could be played on the lines of the FA Cup in which the matches will be held round the year. Other pressing matters that are going to be raised include the future of I-League team Pailan Arrows and the organisational aspects of the new tournament proposed by AIFF's commercial partners - IMG-Reliance. The future of the developmental team is under clouds following the resignation of coach Arthur Papas and exodus of top players to other clubs. The Kolkata-based group - Pailan - is running the team but is yet to fully pay the players' salaries for the season gone by. www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2331289/Queens-Park-Rangers-bid-new-Chennai-based-I-League-team.html#ixzz2UTgbq7Pu
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Post by bostonr on May 27, 2013 12:38:01 GMT
Ball won't be made out of pigskin then?
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Post by Macmoish on May 27, 2013 22:09:31 GMT
Now Times of India''012Euro 2012RankingsEPLI-League You are here: Home » Sports » Football » I-League English club QPR's wing in Chennai likely for I-League soccer Krishna Kant Chakraborty & Dwaipayan Datta, TNN | May 28, 2013, 02.11 AM IST READ MORE Queen's Park Rangers|I-League|All India Football Federation|Air Asia CHENNAI: The city's decade-long wait for an I-League football club is likely to end soon. The promoters of the Queen's Park Rangers (QPR), Air Asia, have expressed a desire to buy the Chennai franchise for the I-League. All India Football Federation (AIFF) authorities have started expanding the I-League. The Indian version of QPR is likely to join the bandwagon next year. At present I-League has 14 teams, and with the addition of two new sides this year from Mumbai and Bangalore, it's likely to be 16. But AIFF will have a couple of more teams next year and Chennai will be one of them. "Air Asia authorities have told us that they are very interested in buying the Chennai franchise. Their Indian operations are headquartered in Chennai and that's why they are looking at the possibilities of having a football club in the city," an AIFF source told TOI on Monday. According to AIFF bosses, the QPR model will also be followed in the building of the team, which is likely to be named Chennai Rangers FC. "QPR might have been relegated from the Premier League this season, but their fight against Manchester City last season on that dramatic last day has almost become the stuff of legend. They are looking to set up the infrastructure that they have for the London-based club in Chennai. There might be some QPR reserve bench players playing in India as well," the source added. Air Asia is apparently ready to meet all the requirements for setting up the franchise. "We have said that the franchises have to set up a youth development programme and they are game...There's already a good stadium in Chennai (Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium). Our process of expansion is on and it would be great if they come on board next year," the AIFF official added. The federation bosses confirmed that Chennai Rangers FC will not be relegated from the first division in the first three seasons even if they do poorly. "We want to give these new clubs some time to get the house in order," the official added. Tamil Nadu's decline in the national soccer scene started since Indian Bank got relegated from the National Football League in 2001. Since the premier tournament was renamed I-League in 2007, no Chennai club has even come close to qualifying. "There is a local league and we have some good players from the city. But the lack of infrastructure and the internal politics of the Tamil Nadu football league has hurt us for a while now. It will be great if a team like QPR comes with all its infrastructure to our city and builds a club which is free of the turmoil of the state politics," Raman Vijayan, a former India player from the city, said. timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/i-league/English-club-QPRs-wing-in-Chennai-likely-for-I-League-soccer/articleshow/20301154.cms
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Post by mfnc on May 27, 2013 22:23:05 GMT
There might be some QPR reserve bench players playing in India as well.........hope so
QPR might have been relegated from the Premier League this season, but their fight against Manchester City last season on that dramatic last day has almost become the stuff of legend......you joke right?
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Post by sharky on May 28, 2013 13:37:51 GMT
Reserve bench players. I can see Bosingwa enjoying his time there!!!
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Dave Sexton
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Post by ingham on May 28, 2013 14:08:58 GMT
Right, QPR won't even own its own home, if they have their way, but it will own a football club in India.
That's handy. Bet India can't wait to lose money on this scale.
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Post by Macmoish on May 28, 2013 14:35:27 GMT
It's this - along with Fernandes involvement with Bhatia Family in Air India which makes me think maybe Bhatia will stick with QPR for a while longer. (That and our other ties to the community)
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Post by Macmoish on May 31, 2013 9:05:18 GMT
Continuing Goal.com QPR keen to participate in the I-League from the 2014-15 season May 31, 2013 3:26:00 PM The Hoops could be plying their trade in India’s top division league in a year or so... Queens Park Rangers (QPR) had shown a desire to be part of the I-League by bidding for a franchisee floated by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). However, given that they would need a minimum of six months to set up the operations, they failed to make the cut but will have another shot come next season. The final date of submission of the bids was 15th May, but the AIFF extended the deadline to 27th May after Tony Fernandes, the QPR chairman and Group CEO of Air Asia, got in touch with the AIFF president Praful Patel, who was also the former Civil Aviation Minister of India, to express his interest. It must be noted that Southeast Asia’s biggest low-cost airline, Tata Sons Ltd and Arun Bhatia have joined hands to kickstart AirAsia India with Chennai as its base, with the stake being 49%, 30% and 21%, respectively. Arun Bhatia’s son, Amit Bhatia, is married to Lakshmi Mittal’s daughter and currently serves as the Vice-Chairman of QPR. “QPR submitted the bid. It’s a huge thing that a club like QPR has shown so much interest to be part of the I-League. But the good thing about QPR and we have to compliment them is on the fact that they said that they don’t want to rush into it because they have a pedigree and a standard to maintain,” Sunando Dhar, the CEO of the I-League, told Goal. The Emergency Committee of the AIFF, which met on Monday at Mr.Patel’s office in New Delhi were pleased with the fact that an English team is keen to enter the Indian market. Philip Beard, CEO of QPR, was also said to be in touch with the AIFF officials. “They said that we just don’t want to throw the hat into the ring like that. They want to set the base up, put their house in order and only then replicate whatever they have done in England, in India because they don’t want to compromise on that. They said that they require at least five to six months to do it. So ideally (they said) we would want to participate from the 2014-15 season onward which the Committee appreciated. It would be good for Indian football and everyone if QPR in all its might come and join the league in the next season,” Dhar stated. www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3952/asia/2013/05/31/4015760/qpr-keen-to-participate-in-the-i-league-from-the-2014-15
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Post by Hogan on May 31, 2013 10:14:39 GMT
I hope that they get the Chennai franchise and hope that one day they discover a player who goes on to play at the highest level in europe.
And, should Indian football really take off, the money it would generate would make the sky deal here look tiny. Although it shouldn't be, but sadly it is now all about money whether directly or indirectly.
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2013 10:26:28 GMT
Without a doubt the largest untapped world market for football (and the local market is pretty impressive as well!)
I seem to recall QPR in the Community doing some work with local Indian clubs a couple of years back that seemed to go very well.
I wonder what the odds are on us signing Chopra!!!!
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Post by Hogan on May 31, 2013 10:38:31 GMT
There seems to be a race on to discover an Indian origin player who goes on to play at the highest level. I know clubs like Leeds and Leicester especially are putting a lot of work into this. Can you imagine the marketing value of such a player? Tony signed Park for his marketing value, that would be dwarfed by comparison.
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Post by Macmoish on Jul 1, 2013 7:06:17 GMT
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Post by sharky on Jul 1, 2013 15:20:51 GMT
From Smartinvestor.in www.smartinvestor.in/market/Compnews-184303-Compnewsdet-AirAsia_chief_to_kick_off_Indian_football.htm AirAsia chief to kick off Indian football Reghu Balakrishnan/Mumbai 01 Jul 13 | 05:48 PM His low-cost carrier is set to take off from Indian skies shortly, and Air Asia chief Tony Fernandes is already planning to kick off his entry into another area – Indian football. Fernandes of course in no greenhorn in football – he holds 65% stake in Queens Park Rangers, a leading UK-based team, in which Lakshmi Mittal, chairman of ArcelorMittal, holds about 33%. According to people in the know, Fernandes has plans to bring international football teams to India, along with his team - Queens Park Rangers, to hold various football leagues in India. In recent past, he has visited football stadiums in cities such as Kolkata, Chennai and Kochi and had discussions with persons concerned in order to check the conditions and availability of stadiums. Apart from participation of Queens Park Rangers in matches in India, the Air Asia chief has plans to tie up with local football teams in order to promote domestic football. On Sunday, Fernandes had discussions with owners of Kochi-based football club- Eagles FC -- for joining hands with the local club. Without disclosing further, Shafi Mather, director of the club said," The talks are at a very early stage."  N Venugopal, chairman, The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), who had discussion with Fernandes, said, "We have learnt that he is interested to hold matches at the Kochi International stadium. They have already engaged in discussions with other football associations in Chennai and Kolkata. We hope that entry of international football teams including Queens Park Rangers will give a great boost and change the face of local football." GCD is the planning and development Authority of the Metropolitan area of Cochin. QPR’s team consists of highly-rated Brazilian international goalkeeper Julio Cesar who was hired from Inter Milan in 2012. Julio Cesar is the goalkeeper of the present Brazil national team which has lifted the 2013 Confederations Cup on Sunday. Mails sent to Air Asia CEO Tony Fernandes and spokesman Aziz Laikar did not elicit any response till the time of going to press. Fernandes also wants to make Queens Park Rangers to participate in football league, I-League, organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). AIFF has already received an application from the club for the entry into next year’s I-League. Praful Patel, former civil aviation minister, is the president of AIFF. A statement from AIFF said, "Queens Park has given a tentative proposal to participate in the I-League from 2014-15 onwards after fulfilling all the criteria and standards as required." The major teams which are participating in current I-League include Churchill Brothers SC, Kingfisher East Bengal Club, Dempo Sports Club, Salgaocar FC, Air India FC, ONGC FC and McDowell Mohun Bagan AC. Apart from the 14 teams for the last I League, AIFF has selected 2 new clubs - JSW Sports Pvt. Ltd and Mumbai Tigers FC for the 2013-14 edition of the I-League.
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Post by Macmoish on Jul 2, 2013 8:39:33 GMT
What I found interesting is the official linkage...Not just that QPR's Owner is also buying an Indian Club This from May from the All India Football Federation AIFF's Emergency Committee meets in New Delhi Home AIFF's Emergency Committee meets in New Delhi Details AIFF Media Team NEW DELHI: The President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Mr. Praful Patel Chaired the AIFF Emergency Committee Meeting at Udyog Bhawan in the Capital on May 27 (Monday). Besides, AIFF General Secretary Mr. Kushal Das and Senior Vice-President Mr. Subrata Dutta, Vice-Presidents Mr. Shrinivas Dempo, Mr. Larsing Sawyan, AIFF Treasurer Mr. Hardev Jadeja and I-League Chairman AR Khaleel also attended the meeting. The Committee unanimously decided on the following points: The Emergency Committee ratified the decision of the Bid Evaluation Committee to provisionally clear JSW (to be based in Bangalore) and Mumbai Tigers (to be based in Mumbai) to play in the 2013-14 edition of the I-League. As regards the bid from the Consortium from Kerala, certain clarifications have been sought, post which a decision would be taken. Queens Park Rangers have given a tentative proposal to participate in the I-League from 2014-15 onwards after fulfilling all the criteria and Standards as required. The 2013-14 I-League season which will kick-off in August 2013 will be divided as per the Conference Model, the Eastern Conference and Western Conference. The top-four from each Conference would advance to play the final round. Every Club playing in the I-League will have to abide by the Indian Club Licensing Criteria, the failure of which they would not be allowed to participate in the League. Each I-League Club would be allowed to register a maximum 30 players out of which a minimum five would be required to be U-23 Players. Minimum two U-23 players need to be in the Final 18 and at least one in the Final Playing XI. The Committee also set up a deadline for existing I-League Clubs by which the existing Clubs would have to start constructing their own Stadium/refurbish an existing Stadium latest by June 1, 2015, the failure of which the defaulters would be axed from the League. One Club barring JSW and Mumbai Tigers would be relegated from the 2013-14 edition of the I-League and they would be replaced by a promoted Club from the 2nd Division League. The participating fee for existing Clubs for the I-League has been increased from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 500,000. For the 2013-14 edition of the I-League, the Committee decided to increase the number of Foreign Recruits to four. Every Club would be allowed to register four Foreign Recruits (3+1) and play all of them. The Second Division League will have a qualifying round and the Clubs would require to pay for their travel and stay. However, the expenses for the Final Phase would be borne by AIFF. The Club Licensing Criteria would be applicable to the 2nd Division League as well. There would be a participating fee of Rs. 100,000 for all participating Clubs in the 2nd Division League. Every Club would be allowed to field one Foreign Recruit in the 2nd Division League. The age-limit for the U-20 Tournament for I-League Clubs have been brought down to U-19. All the Clubs would be required to field Teams in the U-19 Tournament. Besides, AIFF Academies and Private Academies would also be a part of the U-19 Tournament. It’s also mandatory for all the 2nd Division League Clubs to field a Team in the Tournament. All teams playing in the U-19 Tournament would have to bear the cost of travel and stay for the Regional Rounds. However, the AIFF will bear the expenses for the final phase. It was decided that there would a Cap of maximum of five teams from any particular City in I-League and 2nd Division put together. The Teams would have to qualify based on the performance in the local Leagues. If additional Teams from Goa and Kolkata qualify in subsequent editions, those particular Teams have to relocate and play in a different venue subject to approval of AIFF/I-League. By the 2015-16 season onwards, not more than two teams from any particular venue/city would be allowed to play in the I-League except for Kolkata and Goa where not more than three would be allowed keeping in mind their historical contribution to Football. Besides, all Clubs participating in any State Association League would be allowed to register and field two Foreign Recruits in a match. The Committee decided to change the format of the Federation Cup. The next edition will be played on a Home and Away basis on a knock-out system including the semifinals. The Champions will earn the right to host the following edition’s Final match. The Committee endorsed the idea of creating a database of all registered Football Players in the Country. It was also unanimously decided to make amendments to the AIFF Constitution as per the Directives of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs in regard to age and tenure. The Committee felt that a discussion should be initiated with Pailan Group. Meanwhile, AIFF’s Marketing Partners IMG-R made a presentation regarding the newly proposed League which kicks-off in January 2014. www.the-aiff.com/news-center-details.htm?id=4981
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