Date:13/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/13/stories/2008111357072000.htm

Sport - Football

Bayern to set up academy at Burdwan

Principal Correspondent

KOLKATA: Indian football received yet another patron from Europe when the German giant FC Bayern Munich confirmed a five-year pact with the West Bengal government to develop an ‘international standard’ academy at Burdwan.

The academy, spread over 25-acres, will be built on the blueprint developed on Bayern’s know-how, announced the chairman of the German champion, Karl Heinz Rummenigge.

The announcement comes close on the interest shown by the English Premier League outfit Chelsea, which recently had talks with the AIFF over setting up a national academy.

“Many clubs from Europe are investing a lot in Asia in a bid to make quick money. But our club has a different philosophy — we believe in creating deep and long-term championships,” said the former German captain.

The Bayern chairman said that club would be giving technical back-up first to develop the infrastructure and subsequently the aid to develop good coaches and players.

“We’ll take the Indian coaches to Munich and show them how football is organised in Germany,” Rummenigge said.

Rummenigge presented a club jersey to Mr. Nirupam Sen and Mr. Subhas Chakraborty, the two ministers representing the West Bengal Government, and the autographs of some of its star players including Bastian Schweinstiger, Andreas Ottl, Philip Lahm and Tony Kroos.