By Sports Reporter/Doha
With the Indian community forming an important part of Qatari society, football in both countries is set to benefit substantially from the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, according to the chief of the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Following recent successes in raising the profile of the Indian domestic football league, AIFF President Praful Patel has said that his country has a major football dream – to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Patel was in Manila recently for the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) 60th anniversary, and took the opportunity to view the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC)’s booth containing stadium models and information about the tournament. Clearly impressed by what he saw, Patel believes the FIFA World Cup in Qatar will be a catalyst for the improvement of Asian football.
He told www.sc.qa: “In Qatar, as you know, almost half the population is Indian. So if we qualify by 2022, it will be a huge leap not only for India, but for the Asian game.
“I am very happy that Qatar has been chosen to host the 2022 edition of the World Cup and I think this is a real defining moment for Asian football,” Patel added.
“The continent loves the game and we play it well, although of course we need to improve. But when the game is played on our own continent, all of Asia will rise and stand in support of each other. I think that will be the biggest contribution of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.”
With the Indian Super League (ISL) already one of the world’s most watched leagues after only eight weeks, the future looks bright for Indian football. Kushal Das, the AIFF’s General Secretary, said before the AFC event that by 2020, India’s principal league, the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the ISL would merge into one.
The AIFF chief thinks this would not only help India’s chances of qualifying for major tournaments, but also increase the culture and development of football in a country that FIFA President Sepp Blatter has described as “football’s sleeping giant.”
close historic ties between
Qatar and India
With both Qatar and India set to host major football tournaments in the coming years as India prepares to host the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Patel highlighted the close historic links between the two countries.
He said: “Qatar and India have historic and cultural ties, and that’s why we believe that Qatar and India must both work together to build up the culture of football in our countries. The fact that Qatar is hosting the 2022 World Cup means that we have now started building up our own game. We hope that by then [2022] we can qualify for the World Cup, I think it will be a great opportunity for India.”
Patel added that his country was also readying further bids as it increases the profile of the game in the coming years.
“We hope to bid for the FIFA Club World Cup in 2017 and 2018, and we want to prepare a successful bid for the U-20 World Cup by 2020, in addition to the U-17 World Cup which we will host. All these are stepping stones. Small steps, but important steps for developing football in India.”
With India already having participated in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, another participation in 2022 would be a dream achievement for Indian football and the large community living in the country.
