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Calcutta: Barca fans may brace for a Camp Nou experience in Calcutta while the East Bengal die-hards may get ready to witness one of the most proudest moments of the club.
Come August, FC Barcelona might come calling to the city. Though talks are only at a preliminary stage, the Catalan giants have expressed desire to play a pre-season friendly against the red and gold brigade in the second week of August, at the Salt Lake Stadium.
But before your imagination leads you to visualise a Lionel Messi enthralling the city once again, as he did last September in Argentina colours, wait…
The tentative date for Barca’s pre-season friendly against East Bengal is August 11.
The closing stages of the London Olympics are during that time and hence chances of magician Messi accompanying the Argentine team to the Games are high. If that happens, Messi might give the proposed India tour a miss.
For the record, Messi himself has always given the country preference.
East Bengal general secretary Debabrata Sarkar Wednesday said that the offer came from Barcelona earlier this month. “Their agent contacted us and said that they are interested in playing a match against us. The discussions are still at a preliminary stage,” he said.
Amit Sen, the UB representative, too confirmed the news that the Asian representative of Barcelona has put forth the offer.
“The Asian representative of Barcelona said that they are interested to play a match against East Bengal as part of their pre-season training,” Sen said.
But if the deal materialises, the onus will be on the state government to work on the floodlights at the Salt Lake Stadium.
The lights were a problematic issue when Argentina played a friendly last year. It was learnt that East Bengal have discussed the logistics of hosting the match at length in a meeting on Wednesday and have already approached the government.
Before the proposed India tour, Barca are set to tour Thailand and Malaysia for pre-season friendlies.
“If we want to host Barcelona, we need to have proper facilities. First of all, we need a No Objection Certificate from the government. We have sent the letter to the government and are waiting for a reply,” said Sarkar.
Barcelona’s original plan to tour India was tentatively scheduled in 2013. It appears that they have pre-poned it, given the lure of tapping the billion-strong Indian market.
The club’s phenomenal success in 10 years have no doubt multiplied its fan base in the India.Messi participation is doubtful, but the likes of Andreas Iniesta, Carlos Puyol and Xavi could be priceless gifts to the city crowd.
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