Go Pro,FIFA tells India

The fact that the Indian team languishes in the neither regions of World footballgives fans reasons to hope that any movement could be only in one direction---UP.Yet another step towards that end was hopefully taken on 16.feb.2007 when a FIFA team set the ball rolling for the eventual setting up of a proffesional football league in the country.

A FIFA project,"Win in Africa with Africa"----which was aimed to develop African Football ahead of the 2010 World Cup---might well see it branch out to Asia,and particular,India.According to Jean Michael Benezat,a technical advisor at FIFA nad incharge of the Africa project,the first step towards helping India qualify for the World Cup was to set up a "Professional National League".

"It is possible to organise professional competition in India,"Benezet said.Benezat,however, agreed that,aftr meeting officials from the clubs and taking into consideration the current situation of the infrastructure of clubs in the country,it would"take atleast five years before a complete functional professional league would be in place".

"For a professional league,in the real sense of the world,to be operational,every club must have,among other things, a ground of its own,training grounds,youth teams and academies.Therefore we are looking at a strong and stable league by 2012", Benezat ,a former player with French club toulouse,added.The first step towards that end would be to start a professional league as soon as October this year.

"Our intitial aim is to start a league with as many clubs as possible in October and see how it goes from there,"Benezat added.Benezat also seemed pretty satisfied with the level of the game in India.

Benezat said,"Give it time" on asking whether this idea would actually help INDIA to become a force to be reckoned with.

Citing example of the French Football Federation's roadmap to success,Benezat said,"Things do not change overnight.When started in 1970 finally bore fruit for France when they won the 1998 World Cup.I am sure INDIA too can move in the right direction,but only with time."