Rediff

Kolkata, Apr 16: World soccer body will constitute a working group with representatives from the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA for the improvement of the game in India.

Stating this, FIFA president Sepp Blatter told newsmen in Kolkata on Sunday that it would be done step by step and in different time frames.

Blatter, who is on his first visit to India, said this would require a lot of fund. The financial side of the whole matter would be discussed during his meeting with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Monday, he said.

"I will tell him how football can help a country like India which is growing fast and is going to be a giant soon", he said.

Regarding FIFA's grant to Indian football, he said, besides one million dollar given to each of all its 208 member countries, FIFA was giving 4,00,000 dollars to India as solidarity support.

Blatter said more fund could be arranged for India, but he did not quantify the amount.

Asked whether FIFA has any plans to send top coaches to India, Blatter said excellent coaches are available for improvement of the country's soccer standards, but the matter has to be part of a total process.

He called for proper administrative and paramedical structure starting from school, then going up to the regional and state levels, followed by a state league and at the end a tournament under AIFF.

"The future market for football is in Asia. Europe is now saturated for foreign players and coaches," he said.

But he stressed that India needs to put in place a technical and administrative infrastructure first.

"Then the good coaches will be happy to come here", he said.

Blatter said it is important that the government, as well as other organisations and corporate houses, join hands for raising the standards of football in India.

He said the AFC launched Vision Asia in 2003 and "we are now here with the slogan 'Win in India with India'.

"The Indian dream of reaching top international levels can be realised through the work done by AIFF president [Priya Ranjan] Dasmunsi and his team with support from the government.

"But it is only if you help yourself then heaven will help you. We will be able to see the results of the endeavour taken now at the FIFA Congress held in 2010," he added.