{"id":141016,"date":"2024-09-24T12:20:06","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T12:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/24\/beyond-the-pitch-virat-kohlis-connect-with-indian-football-cricket-news-times-of-india\/"},"modified":"2024-09-24T12:20:06","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T12:20:06","slug":"beyond-the-pitch-virat-kohlis-connect-with-indian-football-cricket-news-times-of-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/09\/24\/beyond-the-pitch-virat-kohlis-connect-with-indian-football-cricket-news-times-of-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the Pitch: Virat Kohli\u2019s connect with Indian football | Cricket News &#8211; Times of India"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-113634859,imgsize-45398.cms?resize=1280,720&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Beyond the Pitch: Virat Kohli\u2019s connect with Indian football | Cricket News &#8211; Times of India\" title=\"Beyond the Pitch: Virat Kohli\u2019s connect with Indian football | Cricket News &#8211; Times of India\" \/><\/div>\n<div>NEW DELHI: <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/virat-kohli\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" frmappuse=\"1\">Virat Kohli<\/a>, the cricketing icon, has a close connection with <!-- -->Indian football<!-- --> through his co-ownership of <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/fc-goa\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" frmappuse=\"1\">FC Goa<\/a>, a prominent team in the <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/indian-super-league\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" frmappuse=\"1\">Indian Super League<\/a> (<!-- -->ISL<!-- -->). <br \/>Kohli, known globally for his remarkable achievements on the <!-- -->cricket<!-- --> field, has also demonstrated a deep passion for football. <br \/>His involvement in FC Goa reflects his love for sports beyond cricket and his desire to contribute to the broader sports ecosystem in India.<br \/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">The beginning of FC Goa and Kohli\u2019s role<\/span><br \/>FC Goa was one of the eight original franchises of the Indian Super League, launched in 2014 to revolutionize Indian football. <br \/>Kohli, always a vocal football enthusiast, saw the opportunity to support the development of Indian football and became a co-owner of the Goa-based club. <br \/>His involvement was more than a mere financial investment; it was driven by genuine enthusiasm for the sport.<br \/>Kohli has often spoken about how football was a part of his early life, with the sport playing a significant role in his fitness regime. <br \/>He once remarked that if he weren\u2019t a cricketer, he might have been a footballer. <br \/>His association with FC Goa provided a platform to channel this passion into action, supporting a team in a region that boasts a rich footballing culture.<br \/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Impact on Indian Football<\/span><br \/>Kohli&#8217;s presence brought much-needed visibility to the Indian Super League and FC Goa. <br \/>His vast fan following in India and abroad helped draw attention to the league, contributing to its growth and popularity. <br \/>As one of the biggest names in Indian sports, Kohli\u2019s involvement added credibility and legitimacy to the ISL, which was still in its nascent stages when FC Goa was launched.<br \/>While Kohli himself admits he is still learning the intricacies of football ownership, his influence extends beyond the financial aspect. <br \/>His endorsement of youth development programs, grassroots initiatives, and his advocacy for creating a sports culture in India have positively impacted the sport. <br \/>FC Goa, under Kohli and the other owners, has become one of the most competitive teams in the league, known for its attacking style and fostering local talent.<br \/><span class=\"strong\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">A shared vision<\/span><br \/>For Kohli, owning a football team aligns with his broader vision of promoting sports in India. <br \/>He believes that football has the potential to grow, and his involvement with FC Goa is a step towards building a culture where football is as popular as cricket. <br \/>His journey with FC Goa highlights his commitment to contributing to the rise of football in India while balancing his own legendary cricket career.<\/div>\n<p><script>\nvar _mfq = window._mfq || [];\n_mfq.push([\"setVariable\", \"toi_titan\", window.location.href]);\n!(function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {\n    function loadFBEvents(isFBCampaignActive) {\n      if (!isFBCampaignActive) {\n        return;\n      }\n      (function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {\n        if (f.fbq) return;\n        n = f.fbq = function() {\n          n.callMethod ? n.callMethod(...arguments) : n.queue.push(arguments);\n        };\n        if (!f._fbq) f._fbq = n;\n        n.push = n;\n        n.loaded = !0;\n        n.version = '2.0';\n        n.queue = [];\n        t = b.createElement(e);\n        t.async = !0;\n        t.defer = !0;\n        t.src = v;\n        s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n        s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s);\n      })(f, b, e, 'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js', n, t, s);\n      fbq('init', '593671331875494');\n      fbq('track', 'PageView');\n    };\n    function loadGtagEvents(isGoogleCampaignActive) {\n      if (!isGoogleCampaignActive) {\n        return;\n      }\n      var id = document.getElementById('toi-plus-google-campaign');\n      if (id) {\n        return;\n      }\n      (function(f, b, e, v, n, t, s) {\n        t = b.createElement(e);\n        t.async = !0;\n        t.defer = !0;\n        t.src = v;\n        t.id = 'toi-plus-google-campaign';\n        s = b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n        s.parentNode.insertBefore(t, s);\n      })(f, b, e, 'https:\/\/www.googletagmanager.com\/gtag\/js?id=AW-877820074', n, t, s);\n    };\n    function loadSurvicateJs(allowedSurvicateSections = []){\n      const section =  window.location.pathname.split('\/')[1]\n      const isHomePageAllowed = window.location.pathname === '\/' && allowedSurvicateSections.includes('homepage')\n      if(allowedSurvicateSections.includes(section) || isHomePageAllowed){\n        (function(w) {\n         function setAttributes() {\n                    var prime_user_status = window.isPrime ? 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Kohli, known globally for his remarkable achievements on the cricket field, has also demonstrated a deep passion for football. His involvement in FC Goa reflects his [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/photo\/msid-113634859,imgsize-45398.cms","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[605],"tags":[15623,28838,270,82942,2952,273,1025,39045,25804,25803,4391,271,1769,3655,272,3271,3268],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141016"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141016"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":141018,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141016\/revisions\/141018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}