Spain visit: Mamata tours Real Madrid’s home stadium

Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday took a tour of the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, which is considered the home stadium of the Real Madrid football club while discussions were also held on bilateral investments with the apex trade and investment agency of Government of Spain, ICEX.

Later she wrote on Facebook: “An unforgettable day! Today, I visited the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home to the Real Madrid Football Club. Santiago Bernabéu, steeped in history and memories of legendary moments, embodies the dreams and spirit of sports enthusiasts worldwide. West Bengal has always been committed to promoting sports, nurturing young talents, and fostering a culture of athleticism. Let this visit remind us that sports unites us all, strengthens ties, and promotes cultural exchange.”

Banerjee is in Spain to woo investors for Bengal. During her tour, she has been meeting industrialists from all sectors which also include sports. She has made it clear that she wants to do something to develop the sports sector in the state. Football being the dominant sport in both Bengal and Spain, she met the President of La Liga Javier Tebas and inked an MoU on the basis of which a football academy is to be set up in the state. Mamata has also assured that land is no problem.

Meanwhile, the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) organised a meeting between Javier Serra Guevara, Director General of ICEX, the apex trade and investment agency of Government of Spain, and a West Bengal delegation. The Bengal delegation was led by H K Dwivedi, chief secretary, Vandana Yadav, industry secretary, industrialists Sanjay Budhia and Rajeev Singh.

The discussions centred around bilateral investments and trade between Bengal and Spain. The chief secretary apprised them about various initiatives taken by the chief minister Mamata Banerjee and invited them to Bengal Global Business Summit to witness the development in the state.

On September 14, Mamata had announced that the Spanish multinational retail clothing chain Tempe Grupo Inditex (Zara) is expanding its manufacturing operations to Bengal in partnership with private entities and that the state government will provide them with the land. Banerjee also pointed out to the Spanish industrialists that there are a number of sectors like education, culture, film, tourism, MSME where there is tremendous potential for investment. She reiterated that Bengal has a ready land bank and a land policy in place for industrial ventures.