Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia and its superstars were signed on Friday against the Indian Super League (ISL) Club FC Goa in Group D of AFC Champions League Two-A-ASias Second Tier Club-Competition-Camper with Tadjikistan and Iraq’s Al-Sjwairy. The top two of each of the eight groups continue to the second round.
«This is really a one -time moment for FC Goa,» Club CEO Ravi Puskur told The Associated Press. «To organize Al-Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo is perhaps the biggest competition in Indian club football history.»
Ronaldo, 40, has to win a big trophy since signing for the Riyadh Club in 2022 and the team is expected to be at full force when the action starts in September.
Al-Nassr, who finished third in the Saudi Pro League last season, also has famous names such as former Liverpool star Sadio Mane and Joao Felix, the Portuguese attacker who signed from Chelsea in July.
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«This is historic for Indian football,» Puskur added. «We are on merit here, and a match like this gives us the chance to show that we can compete on the continental stage and become part of the greatest stories of sport.»
Puskur is convinced that the excitement everywhere in the country will be felt to give the local game a much needed boost.
«It is a unique opportunity to draw worldwide attention on Indian football and, above all, an opportunity to arouse a greater interest in Indian football among fans throughout the country, giving the game the spotlights who have needed it for a long time,» he said.
The draw comes with Indian domestic football in crisis. The ISL season of 2025-26 would start in September, but was suspended because of the uncertainty about the renewal of an organizational agreement between the Indian Federation and its commercial partner, the Football Sports Development Limited, pending an order of the Supreme Court.
Bengaluru FC, Odisha FC and Chennaiyin FC have either suspended salaries or its ended operations until a solution is found.
«Although the financial boost is important, the larger image is the chance that this for long -term growth,» said Puskur. «The global attention, sponsorship interest and fan engagement of a moment like these help to strengthen the basis of the club, so that we can invest in the future.»
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