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AFC team to visit India

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI AUG. 6. The World Cup was just the tonic the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) needed to whip up interest in the sport in the continent. Thanks to the sterling performances of the hosts, South Korea and Japan, and the overall conduct of the championship, the AFC is keen to ensure that the gains are not lost but reinforced with development work in areas where the potential is high for the sport to thrive.

It will interest Indian fans that the AFC perceives India as one of the countries where the future of football is bright, Indonesia being another. In keeping with this line of thinking, the AFC is sending a three-member team to India by the end of this month to make a thorough study of various aspects of the sport.

Broadly, the focus will be on areas like administration, marketing, infrastructural facilities, club structure, youth development programmes and the possibility of professional leagues, not to forget financial tie-ups and the like.

The team, comprising Dato Paul Mony Samuel, Alex Soosay and A. Kashmiri, is expected to be in India for 10 days and is due to visit Chennai, Kolkata, Imphal, Delhi, Mumbai and Goa. Mr. Alberto Colaco, AIFF Secretary, will be the co-ordinator.

Mr. Colaco, speaking from Margao, said that AFC's decision to send a team could also be because of the request India had made sometime back with regard to assistance for various development programmes. He added that he had a chance to discuss India's needs with Sepp Blatter, the FIFA President.

The AIFF secretary said the Federation had chalked out the itinerary for the three experts, keeping in mind the areas which could provide maximum inputs for their study. Chennai, for instance, could provide an insight into why football was losing its popularity with poor crowd patronage being a major worry despite the city having one of the best soccer facilities in the country.

Similarly, a visit to Imphal will give an idea about the talent available in the North East region.

At the end of the tour, the team would meet Mr. Colaco in Goa to make an assessment before presenting its report to the AFC.

Based on the study, the AFC, in concurrence with FIFA, would organise a seminar in October in India where a blue print for the development of Indian football is expected to be finalised. The venue of the meeting is still undecided though New Delhi looks the likely host.

Even though India does not figure in the `Group of 26,' representing the countries in Asia which the Asian body has identified for financial aid for upgrading the sport, it is Mr. Colaco's belief that the matter would not end with recommendations and that there would be a financial package.

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