KOLKATA: After a number of starts recently flaunting their football teams, King Khan, who already co-owns a cricket team, expressed his disappointment at not being able to be a part of the Indian Super League (ISL).

The Baadshah of Bollywood who tried to buy the Kolkata franchise of the ISL said that he could not bring himself to buying another city.

“I will say something which is unfortunate and sad for me. I really wanted to be a part of ISL and I wanted to own a football team but there was no way that I would have got Kolkata and if I can't have Kolkata I can't have any other city,” the superstar reckoned.

“I was offered every other city but I said I won’t do it,” he added. “If we play football we have to play for Kolkata, you don't play for any other city. I have all my love for Mumbai and Delhi but the city I back is Kolkata.”

The brand ambassador of West Bengal, who was in Kolkata to promote his latest film Happy New Year described Kolkata as his ‘home’.

 “This is my hometown. I have been all over the world to promote this film. But I told them that one place where you have to come is Kolkata which is my own city,” SRK said.

He, however, congratulated Ganguly, the co-owner for the ISL’s Kolkata franchise. “More deserving than me is 'dada' (Ganguly) and he should have it and I can't compete with him...I wish 'dada' and everyone in the championship. I hope it does well.”

He said the team is in better hands than him and would do well.

“Even today when I was flying down I felt very sad that I don't have the football team of Kolkata. I started IPL because I was told that IPL will extend into soccer. My love is for football. I play football, my son plays football and my daughter is the captain in football,” the actor-producer revealed.

He also went to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with Happy New Year co-actors Sonu Sood, Vivaan Shah and director Farah Khan. “She has told me that she has liked my film although I don't think she had the time to watch the whole film. She is the 'didi' (elder sister), I do not see her only as a chief minister,” Khan said.

Khan, who also co-owns IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, said he had met everyone involved to buy the Kolkata ISL franchisee which was eventually bought jointly by former cricketer Sourav Ganguly, businessmen Harshavardhan Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka, Utsav Parekh and Spanish club Atletico Madrid.