Die-hard arsenal supporter becomes ‘barclays fan of india’

Throughout a season 380 Barclays Premier League games are broadcast around the world reaching over 500 million homes in more than 200 territories. In England over 13.5 million fans attended Barclays Premier League matches in the 2008/2009 season.

Mumbai, February 9, 2010: Barclays has completed its search for the most passionate Indian supporter of the Barclays Premier League through the ‘Barclays Fan of India’ contest. Twenty four year-old Aby Baby Kuruvilla, a die-hard Arsenal Football Club supporter from Bangalore, has been crowned India’s most fanatical and dedicated Barclays Premier League fan after submitting a home-made video in which he sings passionately about his allegiance for his beloved Gunners.

The judging panel, which included Manchester United legends Gary Pallister and Bryan Robson, selected Aby from the thousands of entries that poured in from all corners of India. Contestants from 80 cities sent in photographs, videos and scrapbooks to support their entries.

Bryan Robson, Manchester United’s legendary midfielder and ambassador of the Barclays Fan of India contest, said: “We were over-whelmed at seeing the response from the contest. I would like to congratulate Aby, who obviously adores Arsenal Football Club. It was a tough decision to choose only one winner from the thousands of entries we received but Aby came across as the most passionate of all.”

Aby, who cites Robin van Persie as his favourite Arsenal player, will fly over to the UK to attend the Barclays Premier League clash between Arsenal and Liverpool on Wednesday 10 February at the Emirates Stadium, London.

Arsenal FC manager Arsene Wenger said “We are proud to have so many fans all over the world supporting Arsenal Football Club. We are delighted that Aby has won this special prize and we are truly grateful for his support towards Arsenal from so far away. We hope that Aby has a memorable trip to Emirates Stadium.”

On winning the ‘Barclays Fan of India’ Contest, Aby, said: “Winning the contest is a dream come true. It hasn’t even sunk in that I’ll be travelling to the Emirates Stadium - the home of the Gunners - to watch the team play ‘live’. I’ve always supported Arsenal and will continue doing so until the end of time. I haven’t missed a single game of the team on TV for years. Thirty eight games a season is just not enough!”

The contest was launched in the summer of 2009 with the objective of finding the biggest and most fanatical supporter of the Barclays Premier League in India. As well as Aby’s prize of a VIP trip for two to attend a live Barclays Premier League fixture, ten runners-up from New Delhi, Gangtok, Cochin, Pune, Mumbai, Kannur, Chennai and Calicut have each received a Barclays Premier League team shirt of their choice.

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For more information, visit: www.barclayspremierleague.com

Barclays
Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail banking, credit cards, corporate banking, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services, with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs over 145,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for over 49 million customers and clients worldwide. For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.barclays.com