Football: Wenger to help ‘sleeping giant’ India develop football talent
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FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger applauds ahead of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group G football match between Switzerland and Cameroon at the Al-Janoub Stadium in Al-Wakrah, south of Doha on November 24, 2022. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
AFP
NEW DELHI – Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will work with India to develop football talent as the sport’s national federation attempts to overhaul its “identity and philosophy”, the organisation revealed on Saturday.
India, once called a “sleeping giant” of football by former Fifa president Sepp Blatter, are 106th in the world rankings and struggle to grab public attention in the cricket-obsessed country.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has struggled with governance issues and was temporarily suspended by football’s world governing body in 2022.
Fresh elections followed in September and the AIFF is now eyeing big changes with the help of 73-year-old Frenchman Wenger.
“We will have a data-driven scouting system in place for the national team,” secretary-general Shaji Prabhakaran told reporters on Saturday.
“We are going to work on this project with Fifa and Arsene Wenger is personally going to devote his time.”
Wenger, who led the Gunners for nearly 22 years till May 2018, is currently Fifa’s head of global football development.
AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey did not specify Wenger’s exact role in its programme but said the exercise would be key to making India a football powerhouse by 2047 – the country’s centenary of independence.
“We are not going to sell dreams,” he said. “We have to build the foundations of a strong structure and build our own identity and philosophy.”
During the Qatar World Cup, Chaubey held talks with Wenger and other senior Fifa and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) officials regarding youth development projects, according to The Times of India.
“We have had extensive discussions with Fifa development team. Arsene Wenger is head of Fifa Task Force and they will help us in grassroots programme. Coaches from Wenger’s team will come,” he was quoted as saying.
Chaubey also said the aim was to “revive the glory days of Indian football as it was in the 1950s and 60s and becoming a powerhouse of Asian football once again”.
India have never played at the World Cup. Igor Stimac, who was part of the Croatian team who won the bronze medal at the 1998 World Cup in France, has been the team’s head coach since 2019.
The South Asian country hosted the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 and the women’s edition in 2022. AFP
