ISL owners: All you need to know
Ranbir Kapoor & Bimal Parekh
A keen follower of football and an avid fan of Barcelona, Ranbir doesn’t miss out on a game of football in his free time. No wonder Bollywood’s latest heartthrob has decided to take the plunge in this.
His partner is Bimal Parekh, a renowed Chartered Accountant from Mumbai and manages investments of some top celebrities like Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif.
What they said:
It is a moment of great pride for me to be a part of the ISL and to represent the vibrant city of Mumbai. Football has never been far away from my daily life since childhood, and now as a partner in the ISL, I am looking forward to translate my passion into contributing to the growth of the sport
–Ranbir Kapoor
KOCHI
Prasad V Potluri of PVP Ventures & Sachin Tendulkar
PVP is one of the country’s largest investors in the media and entertainment industry, of which Prasad V Potluri is the chairman and managing director. The company was also one of the bidders for the Hyderbad team in the 2012 IPL.
The face of this franchise will be Sachin Tendulkar, who will be associated as the brand ambassador.
What they said:
I will always remain a sportsman at heart who is keen to positively impact the sporting fabric of the nation. The ISL presents a great opportunity to develop a platform for the youngsters to learn and enhance their talent to develop into outstanding players
–Sachin Tendulkar
KOLKATA
Sourav Ganguly, Atletico Madrid, Harshavardhan Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka, Utsav Parekh
Dada’s love for football is well-known. The Sourav Ganguly-led consortium pipped Shah Rukh Khan to win the bid for this franchise
Atletico Madrid is a Spanish club based in Madrid that currently tops the La Liga and is in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. It’s the third most supported club in Spain.
Harshavardhan Neotia is the chairman of the Ambuja Neotia Group, which is headquartered in Kolkata and is into real estate, with recent forays into hospitality, healthcare and education.
Sanjiv Goenka is the chairman of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, a business inherited from his late father, Rama Prasad Goenka. Sanjiv is a prominent businessman having interest in power and retail.
Utsav Parekh has been the non-executive, non-independent chairman at SMIFS Capital Markets Ltd.
What they said:
I am very excited to have won the Kolkata fanchise of the ISL and being the first international team to be directly owning a club in India. We, along with our Indian Partners and IMG-Reliance, aim to revolutionise football in the country
–Miguel Angel Gil Marin, Atletico Madrid owner
PUNE
Salman Khan, Kapil Wadhawan & Dheeraj Wadhawan
Probably the actor with most mass appeal currently, Salman Khan is the co-owner of the Pune franchise. The Bollywood star also started the Being Human Foundation, a charitable trust.
Kapil & Dheeraj Wadhawan: Kapil is the chairman and Dheeraj the vice-chairman of the Rajesh Wadhawan Group, which has diverse business interests including financial services, food retail, hospitality, education and real estate.
What they said:
Football is the world’s most favourite game and it attracts a huge wave of interest amongst us Indians. However, we do not have a domestic forum to bring this interest alive. ISL provides this long-awaited platform to polarise India’s football interest
–Kapil Wadhawan, chairman of Rajesh Wadhawan Group
DELHI
Sameer Manchanda of Den Networks
Sameer Manchanda is the chairman and managing director of Den Networks Limited, a Delhi-based cable TV distribution company serving 13 million homes in over 200 cities. He also served as a joint managing director of IBN18 Broadcast Ltd and Jagran TV Private Limited.
What he said:
Soccer runs in the blood of every Indian and is a part of our sporting DNA. The ISL is the beginning of a movement that will revolutionise Indian soccer and uncover the true potential of the sport in our county
–Sameer Manchanda
GUWAHATI
John Abraham & Shillong Lajong
John Abraham is a Bollywood actor and producer, who’s passion revolves around football, bikes and fitness. He’s also bought a stake in Delhi’s Hockey India League franchise, the Delhi Waveriders.
Shillong Lajong is an I-League club based in Shillong. It was established in 1983 and was promoted to the first division of India’s top domestic football league in 2009-10.
GOA
Dattaraj Salgaocar, Dempo & Videocon Group
Dattaraj Salgaocar is the managing director of VM Salgaocar & Bro. Pvt. Ltd, a company having diverse interests in mining, hospitality, and shipping. He is also the brother-in-law of Mukesh Ambani.
Dempo Mining Corporation Limited is a prominent mining company from Goa. Shrinivas V Dempo is the chairman of Dempo Group, who also own the Dempo Sports Club in the I-League
Videocon Group is a US $5 billion global conglomerate with a diversified set of products ranging from handsets, D2H and electronic appliances. It was founded by Nandlal Dhoot. It’s current chairman is his son, Venugopal Dhoot.
BANGALORE
Sun Group
Sun Group, chaired by Kalanithi Maran, is a Chennai-based conglomerate. It’s Sun TV Network is one of the largest media networks in India. The group also owns the airline SpiceJet, besides the IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad.
