Villarreal president Fernando Roig sets high hopes for Indian football: ‘They’re developing at spectacular pace’

Over the past few years, football has gained significant traction in India and Villarreal president Fernando Roig sees the country as an important destination for footballing investments. The second-most populous country in the world has been a huge underachiever in the sport but witnessed a significant revamp in its football scenario in the past few years.

The arrival of the Indian Super League remains at the center of the structural overhaul with its success at making the sport a lucrative career option in the country. At the same time, the tournament also brought the sport relatively closer to the masses.

In the recent past, multiple Indian footballers who took part in the ISL have plied trade in European clubs with Villarreal being one of them. Roig, who has been the president of the Spanish club since 1997, believes that Indian football is “developing at a spectacular pace.”

“India has a huge potential. The country is really developing at a spectacular pace with some very good players coming through. I’m sure if we can develop football (in India), it won’t be just good in footballing terms, but for India as a whole. So, for those of us who can invest in football in India, it will result in collective good,” Roig told Hindustan Times during a virtual interaction organised by the LaLiga.

Many major European clubs including Spain’s FC Barcelona have set up football academies in India. Additionally, multiple clubs from the Premier League, LaLiga and Bundesliga have held or continue to hold partnerships with existing Indian football clubs.

With a structural change in the sport, India has also emerged as an important venue for major footballing tournaments. In 2017, the country organised its first-ever FIFA tournament (the FIFA U-17 World Cup), and next year, India is scheduled to host two major tournaments – the AFC Women’s Asia Cup and FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

“Anything that is doing good and is promoting the sport in a healthy way is very good for the country. I know we are only talking about football here, but India is going to make an important contribution to sports itself,” Roig further said.

“I think it’s important to support football academies and training programmes in India. I’m sure there will be wonderful players coming through the ranks in the country,” the Villarreal president added.

We have the “club’s best squad in its history”

Roig said that Villarreal have built their “best squad” in history this year, following the Europa League triumph in May 2021. Their victory in the final also gave Villarreal their first major European title in history.

The club’s president acknowledged that the victory was impactful in terms of Villarreal’s global outreach.

“The Europa League victory was very important for the club. It was a step forward in terms of our media visibility as it has made us much better known in Spain, Europe, and worldwide,” Roig told Hindustan Times.

“This year, we were the only Spanish club to achieve the European title, which is very important. It has served as a springboard and also gave us an opportunity to participate in the Champions League.”

Roig placed importance on Villarreal’s footballing culture, insisting that it was important to “achieve a balanced squad” – a culmination of youth and experience.

“It is all about achieving a balanced financial situation and ensuring its sustainability, working hard with our youth team, homegrown players, and at the same time, having good trainers,” said Roig.

“What we can’t find in youth teams, we search outside, so it’s half of one thing and half of the other. The idea is to achieve a balanced squad. I think this year, we have managed to achieve the club’s best squad in its history.”

In the current season, however, Villarreal have remained largely inconsistent, with the club currently placed at 13th position in the Spanish league. When asked whether the performances do justice to his “best squad” claim, Roig insisted that he is hopeful of a strong comeback.

“I’m sure we will get back on track this season. This is what football is all about. If it was crystal clear that the best squad is going to win the title, it would all be about investing money. It is not as easy as that. You got to play the games and there can be certain circumstances that may arise. The state of mind of players also matters a lot,” Roig explained.

“This year, we also had a lot of injuries, for example, the injury to Gerard Moreno. I don’t think he has played even 50 percent of all games this season. All of these things lead to the situation we are in right now. I’m hopeful that we will improve our performances and the situation at the La Liga table and in the Champions League. All you can do is keep working hard, strive harder and improve.”