Portuguese league signs agreement to help game in India

By N. Ananthanarayanan

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The organisers of the Portuguese professional league (LPFP) signed an agreement with the Indian soccer federation on Friday, to provide support for a more professional structure.

The deal was influenced by the historic ties between the nations rather than India's booming economy, LPFP vice-president Ricardo Castanheira told Reuters.

"We realised it would give a very good opportunity for all young Indian players to achieve the skills needed through this kind of support," he said. "We'll give total support, particularly to clubs in building football academies."

The LPFP would assist with the training of Indian coaches and referees and their age-group national teams would play each other.

"We know football is not the first sport in India, but it is in Portugal," Portuguese sports minister Laurentino Dias said. "The agreement will be long term, it has the full support of the governments."

Cricket-mad India is finally taking steps to develop other sports such as golf and soccer, whose professional I-League kicked off last week.

Castanheira said initially the plan was to only back former colony Goa, an Indian tourist and soccer hub, like the support given to Portuguese-speaking nations such as Brazil, Angola and Mozambique, but India was keen on a nationwide scheme.

"You're a big country like Brazil and China, one of the major players in the world," he said. "We're a very little country, but with lot of potential and we've the knowledge on how to do it.