PIO Netan Sansara aims to become Great Dane!

As I reported a week ago PIO Netan Sansara signs for Danish club FC Vestsjælland and for the former England Under-18 and U-19 international Netan Sansara the one-year deal with Danish First Division side FC Vestsjælland is a chance to develop in career further.

The 22-year-old pacey left-back adds another destination to his ever-impressive CV having earlier plied his trade in England, Scotland and Cyprus. Sansara is one of a handful of players who are proof that there is talent in the Asian community in Britain as he becomes the first British-born Asian to ply his trade in Danish football.

Sansara made his decision to sign for FC Vestsjælland after turning down a number of tempting offers from clubs across Europe, including a two-year extension with PAEEK FC. The Cypriot club were left in no doubt of Sansara's ability and versatility across the park after signing him last season. Primarily a left back, he filled in for half of the season at Centre-back, earning rave reviews across the football scene in Cyprus.

The Walsall-born defender began his career with his home town club, signing his first professional contract at the age of 17 and then breaking into the Saddlers first team at the age of 18. Sansara then travelled north of the border to join Dundee FC in the Scottish first division before making the decision to fly the flag for British footballers in Cyprus.

His performances for PAEEK FC saw him shortlisted for the Player of the Year award at the inaugural Asian Football Awards, which took place at Wembley Stadium in January 2012, while off the pitch, Sansara has been active in the community in his role as ambassador for anti-racism and social inclusion group Kick It Out.

Sansara is relishing the challenge with FC Vestsjælland, saying, "I'm really excited about the new season ahead of me with my new club. I'm glad to have got my future sorted and now I can concentrate on my football."

"After spending a few days in Denmark during the summer training with the team I really enjoyed my stay there, the players and the staff and it was a big reason in why I opted to join FCV. The hard work begins now and I will be doing all I can to play my part in helping the club succeed."

FC Vestsjælland, co-owned by Anglian Football, have ambitions to challenge for honours in Denmark as promotion remains their immediate plan as well as help develop football in India.

Three Shillong Lajong FC players to train in Denmark

In a first of its kind three players from I-League side Shillong Lajong FC - Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Lalramluaha and Lalthuammawia Ralte - are heading for Europe to get specialised training at Danish first division (second tier of Danish football) club FC Vestsjælland, which is a partner club of Lajong through their common co-owners Anglian Holdings.

At the time of announcing that they are buying a stake at Shillong Lajong, the Dubai-based Anglian Holdings had said that they would enable players from Lajong FC to train in Denmark to gain international exposure and the annoucement was made yesterday, the same day as FCV's signing of PIO Netan Sansara ( PIO Netan Sansara signs for Danish club FC Vestsjælland ).

The three talented footballer leave leave Shillong today and will be in Denmark for a couple of weeks until July 29. They will have access to quality training facilities and will be looking to make full use of this international exposure. The trip will also serve as an exercise to gauge the standards of the I-League players, as the three boys seek to gain valuable international experience from this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Over the last couple of years Shillong Lajong FC has send an astounding 23 of its junior players to Europe through football development projects and tournaments held by Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan; but sending three professional footballers to Denmark for a two week specialised training camp is also something new for the club.

Lajong General Secretary Larsing Ming Sawyan said, "the trip will serve as a platform to provide SLFC and its players an insight into European club football and learn from the experience. We hope to conduct many such exposure trips in the future which shall include promising players,junior coaching staff,as well as managers and executives of SLFC."

An excited local Shillong boy Eugeneson Lyngdoh said, "I am very excited about going to Denmark and getting the experience to play with international players. It will be a new experience and I am eagerly looking forward to it. We have heard so much about European players and to actually get to play alongside them will take my playing to a new level. It will also equipped me with better skills and knowledge to grow as a footballer."

Former Tata Football Academy cadet Lalramluaha added, "I am quite excited and happy about the trip as I will get to learn new things in good training facilities."

PIO Netan Sansara signs for Danish club FC Vestsjælland

English-born 'Player of Indian Origin' Netan Sansara is set to join Danish first division (second tier of Danish football) club FC Vestsjælland depending on obtaining the necessary Danish work permit.

22 year old Netan Sansara joins FC Vestsjælland after a successful trial a few weeks ago and would join the club on a one year contract. FCV have Indian co-owners in Anglian Football owned by Dubai-based Anglian Holdings, who also are shakeholders in I-League club Shillong Lajong FC.

Anglian Football is working to create opportunities in professional football in Europe for Indian footballers and for footballers of Indian origin with the signing of Netan by their co-owned club FCV can be seen as a first step in that direction.

Netan Sansara had his first break in professional football with his home town club Walsall FC, for whom he made 40 appearances in the English League One. During this time, his performances culminated in him representing England at Under-18 and Under-19 level, making his debut against Holland at Yeovil Town's Huish Park and him being the first full Asian-born footballer to represent England with Michael Chopra being only half-Indian.

After leaving Walsall FC, Netan played for Dundee FC (Scotland) and non-league English club Corby Town, before making his move to Cyprus last summer to play for second division side PAEEK FC and after a successful season there he now moves to Denmark for a new chapter in his playing career.

Doubts behind Indian Investments in European football Clubs

In recent months I have been asked numerous times if investments by Indian businessmen and corporate houses or by Persons of Indian Origin into European football clubs are really working out besides it being beneficial for Indian football. To be honest there is no definite answer to these difficult questions as it depends on the different reasons why such an investment is made.

Some might see it as a chance to grow their business in Europe and other markets too, some are genuinely interested in the sport of football, some even have business ambitions within India but rather take the foreign sporting route to achieve their goals.

The reasons for such investments in a professional sports team can differ, but often they will surely not be about the development of Indian football or football in India, then otherwise the money could have easily been invested directly into Indian football.

But as the current examples of Blackburn Rovers and Racing Santander show, investment alone will not do. One will have to have the deep pockets to pump further money into the team to buy quality players and develop the club overall, but also have the right management in place with the necessary knowledge to run a football team.

In Europe a lot of people are questioning the knowledge and capabilities of Indian football club owners after the terrible mismanagement by the Venky's and Ahsan Ali Syed at their respective clubs; who bought these clubs, made false promises which in the end led to relegation and an unsure future of the once respected clubs.

But there is also a positive counter model, the Mittal Family as minority stakeholders at Queens Park Rangers FC, who last season ensured that QPR would win the Championship and now ensured their Premiership status; but with the two above very negative examples many in football are saying they don't want Indian investment in the sport which displays Indian businesses and Indian football in a very bad light. Which is a very sad fact.

Other positive examples of Indian minority shareholding are FC Midtjylland by the Dempo Group and FC Vestsjælland by Anglian Holding, both in the Danish leagues. Both are inter-linked with India and the development of the game in India besides also allowing the clubs to develop themselves.

And the question will be who would now want to invest in European football in such a climate of distrust, though Indian money through sponsorship and other forms surely would surely be welcome.

Interview with Dhruv Ratra (Anglian Holdings), Shillong Lajong FC

I had the chance to catch-up with Dhruv Ratra, the CEO of Sports and Marketing at Anglian Holdings, the company which only a few weeks ago acquired a 25% stake in I-League side Shillong Lajong FC. Through the interview I wanted to find out more about what Anglian Holdings stands for, their aims and ambitions in football, especially Indian football.


Please tell the readers a little about Anglian Holding and your yourself?

Anglian Holdings is an NRI-owned (Non-Resident Indian) diverse multi-national company that has established a variety of businesses and partnerships across India, the US and Europe, such as steel manufacturing, commodities trading, green energy, real estate, luxury retirement homes, leisure resorts, beauty and lifestyle, business incubation, sports, etc. Our goal is to create and sustain successful businesses based upon Indian entrepreneurship and ingenuity. For more details, please visit www.anglianholdings.com . My personal involvement with the company is in the capacity of CEO of Sports and Marketing.

I left India more than 25 years ago to pursue further studies at the University of Chicago and then MIT, after which I experienced success as a serial entrepreneur based out of Silicon Valley. More than anything else, I have been playing football (soccer) from a very early age and in 1982 even attempted to get a scholarship to play in West Germany (which did not happen, for obvious reasons). While playing competitively in the US, I was fortunate to be associated with some of the first US football players who went over to play at the highest levels in Europe during the late 80s / early 90s, and was directly exposed to their experiences.


Anglian first invested in Danish second tier club FC Vestsjælland. When was it and why?

Once we had formulated our strategy towards raising the standard of football in India, we decided that it would be best to partner with a team that was heading in the right direction and which was under experienced, professional management. Furthermore, FCV was already training a couple of lads from North Korea, and were excited to scout emerging countries in Asia such as India for new talent. Finally, we believe that in order for Indian players to reach their potential, they need to showcase their talents at the right level. As a result, we went decided to partner with and invest in FC Vestsjælland in Spring/Summer of 2011.


Now comes the investment in Shillong Lajong FC. Why Lajong?

Anglian Holdings has always been interested in partnering with 'businesses' that have a good management team and a strong foundation. In the case of a football club, this translates to an established club that has close ties with its fan base and community, and is an extension of them. After our deal with FC Vestsjælland in Denmark during Spring/Summer of 2011, we began to look at and meet with a number of clubs all over India. Finally, towards the end of the year, and after numerous meetings between the two parties, it became clear that both Shillong Lajong and Anglian Holdings had very similar objectives for the future and an alliance was agreed to.


What inputs can Anglian give to Lajong to improve the club?

We won't be providing any tactical on-the-field inputs. Our expertise is operational in nature. We will assist in the training and exchange or players and coaching staff. We will also help build a world-class academy as well as help them develop closer ties with their fans and sponsors.


What opportunities of cooperation do you see between SLFC and FCV?

We feel that both sides can cooperate and share their knowledge and expertise at a number of levels. For starters, Lajong is planning to send some lads for evaluation and training to FCV hopefully as early as this summer. Once the initial visit takes place we will be in better position to evaluate other avenues of cooperation.


What are Anglian's long-term aims in Indian football?

I believe that football in India is at an inflection point. In recent years, India and Indians have experienced tremendous success globally in business, cricket, individual sports and now the time has come for football. However, as one can observe from the experiences of the US, Korea and Japan, we do not expect things to change overnight - it will be a long and gradual process, one that starts from the ground up. It is Anglian's objective to participate in this change no matter how long it takes. Not only do we aspire to raise the standard of the sport and coaching within India, we are also looking at new ways to help teams better connect with fans, journalists and bloggers, all of whom play an extremely important role that will help shape the next Messi or Maradona.

VIDEO: Anglian investment into Shillong Lajong FC

News television channel NDTV has done a story on the investment by Anglian Holding in Shillong Lajong FC after they had earlier bought a stake in Danish second division side FC Vestsjælland. This is the first time an NRI has invested in Football clubs on two different continents and thereby is creating a bi-directional pipeline for players, coaching and sporting infrastructure.






Here the article on the Anglian Holding investment - Lajong FC: Anglian Holding new investor, partnership with Danish club .

Lajong FC: Anglian Holding new investor, partnership with Danish club

In a first for Indian football NRI-owned Anglian Holding from Dubai, who are a multi-national company with diversified interests, has bought into I-League side Shillong Lajong FC with upto 25% of the clubs shares going to exchange ownership.

This was announced yesterday at a press conference in Kolkata which was attended by Dhruv Ratra, Anglian Holding - Sports & Marketing CEO; Larsing Ming Sawyan, SLFC General Secretary; and Kurt Andersen, FC Vestsjælland president.

Anglian Holding has been looking at options to invest and get involved with Indian football for some time. Now comes the investment in Shillong Lajong FC, who both hope to take the club forward.

But for Anglian Holding this isn't their first investment in football. A while ago they became 25% stakeholders in Danish first Division (second tier of Danish football) FC Vestsjælland, who are also known as FCV Vikings and are a development club in Denmark.

Now with these two clubs in India and Denmark, Anglian Holding hope to create a talent, know-how and expertise exchange. In the future FCV could become an entry point into Europe for talented Indian youngsters, while FCV coaches work with children and their Indian counterparts.