Manchester United have made an announcement regarding their tour in India which will feature former stars of the club, Dwight Yorke and Quinton Fortune, as a part of the club’s global promotional campaign.
India is known to have one of the fastest growing United fanbases around the world with the country having more than 35 million fans of the Old Trafford outfit. The United legends will be arriving in India and making their first stop in Bangalore on 17th January, 2016 for the official screening of the big game against Liverpool which will take place at UB City Mall. The second event is scheduled to take place in the city of Mumbai in late February (date yet to be announced). The fans can enjoy this free of charge.
“The club is coming to India to host two big events called ‘I Love United India’, put together specifically for our 35 million followers in the country,” former Red Devils captain Bryan Robson told The Times of India.
“There will be one in Bangalore at the Amphitheatre, UB city on the 17th January for the Liverpool game, which will be attended by Dwight Yorke and Quinton Fortune and one in Mumbai, late February. It’s a completely free event; all you have to do is go to the official website, and apply for a ticket,” the former star midfielder added. “35 million is a big number to ignore and United recognise that football is becoming a popular sport in India.”
Robson also praised the country’s growing football tournament, the Indian Super League for attracting big names to India. “There has been a massive surge in the popularity of football in India in the last few years and the ISL has played a big part in that,” the 58-year-old global ambassador of Manchester United said. “We have seen ex-Premier League players take part in the ISL, like Mikael Silvestre. I know he really enjoyed playing in that league and the more the fans get behind it the more chances they have of attracting big stars.”
A similar event was organized last year for the same fixture by Premier League in a fan park called Barclays Premier League Live in Mumbai which was a huge success. Legends like Peter Schmeichel, Robbie Fowler and Emile Heskey were present alongside Premier League TV’s presenter, John Dykes. The turnout of the fans is what should be the most to look at as India tries to make a global influence on football.
