This refers to the news report “Venky’s hatches English club buy” (October 27). At last India is represented in the world’s most expensive football league, the English Premier League (EPL). Venkateshwara Hatcheries (Venky’s) is going to be the new owner of the English club, Blackburn Rovers, by November. It is a proud moment for the country to have an Indian owner of an EPL team. We have finally arrived on the world sporting stage. First, it was Vijay Mallya’s “Force India” team in Formula One (F1) circuit and now Venky’s entry into the EPL.
Incidentally, F1 and soccer are two sports with a large global following. It is as if the wheel has turned a full circle, from the era when India was a British colony to today, when we own an EPL club. Time indeed is a great leveller.
Though the choice of the club is arguable since Blackburn has won the EPL championship only once, it remains to be seen whether it makes business sense to buy a low-ranking club and gradually turn it around. For the time being, let us applaud the chutzpah shown by Venky’s in gaining entry into the elite EPL and giving brand India another shot in the arm.
Dushyant Singh Panwar, New Delhi
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