City chief tells reasons behind move in Uruguay

CITY chief executive Ferran Soriano has opened up about his organisation’s move into Uruguay.

The City Football Group last year bought second division side Atletico Torque and helped them achieve promotion for the first time in their 10-year history.

The club is having a struggle in their first season in the top flight, without a win in their opening six fixtures – but Soriano is in the South American country to explain the City business model.

A big part of it is gaining a toehold in a country that produces top talent like Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Godin, in order to get a head start on transfer rivals.

The interest in Torque also improves City’s foothold in South America, where they have ramped up their scouting network, and already reaped Gabriel Jesus as a result.

Soriano told Uruguayan newspaper Ovacion: “We provide training methodology, technology and know-how of the largest football group in the world.

“We have integrated Torque into our network of clubs so that it takes full advantage of its potential, both at the football and commercial level.

“We also offer players the possibility of developing their career in the various teams of the group.

“We have a fantastic example in Bruno Fornaroli, who went from Uruguay to our team Melbourne City and became the best player in Australia.”

Asked why City chose to add a Uruguayan club to their growing global collection, Soriano said: “First and fundamentally because of the amount of football talent that exists in the country, then because in Uruguay the necessary legal and economic conditions for a foreign investment are given.”