Delhi's ISL franchise launched

The Delhi franchise of the Indian Super League (ISL), Delhi Dynamos, was unveiled on Wednesday and announced its tie-up with famous Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam.  

The club would be sharing its knowledge of the sport with the Delhi outfit to help in its overall development besides providing players, technical staff and a grassroot programme.

Dynamos, owned by cable network group DEN Network for Rs. 18 crore, will field a young player from Rotterdam in action during the league.   

Sameer Manchanda, chairman and managing director of DEN Networks, said they were looking to build a team of world class players. "It is a serious business proposition for us and we hope to generate profits in the next two to three years.

“With Feyenoord Rotterdam, we look forward to building a team of world-class players who can inspire with their skills and represent our city's hopes and aspirations. Our dream is to take India to the global football stage and ultimately to the FIFA World Cup. They will assist us in overall development of the club and its initiatives,” Manchanda said.

Feyenoord is one of the two biggest football clubs in the Netherlands. In 1970, it became the first Dutch team to lift a major European trophy, when it conquered the European Cup (which is known as the Champions League nowadays). Feyenoord was also the first Dutch club to win the Intercontinental Cup (1970) as well as the UEFA Cup (1974, nowadays known as the Europa League).

Gido Vader, head of international relations of Feyenoord, admitted they had finalised on an European coach but refused to reveal the name.