Arsene Wenger, the chief of Global Football Development, FIFA and former
manager of iconic England club Arsenal, said he has always been fascinated by
Indian football and it is a gold mine waiting to be “explored, exploited and
encouraged.”
Wenger visited the Football House on Monday, and had an interaction with
the heads of a select group of football academies from across the country.
He had a long and fruitful discussion with All India Football Federation or
AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey and acting secretary general Satyanarayan M on
setting up the AIFF-FIFA Academy and youth development in India.
Wenger and his team from the FIFA Talent Development Scheme are currently
on a three-day visit to India in connection with the AIFF-FIFA Academy to be
inaugurated in Bhubaneswar today. This is his first visit to India.
“We are so very honoured to host and welcome Wenger. His experience in
football needs no introduction or explanation. I can just hope and pray that he
continues to be involved with India’s Talent Development Scheme project,” the
AIFF president said.
“We have been discussing this project for nearly three months now. Wenger’s
visit to India and his experience and support from FIFA, I am sure will make
this project a huge success,” he added.
Commenting on India’s football development, Chaubey said, “Let us not
only develop football in India. Rather, make a space on the map of world
football, where every one of us present in this house today can say, yes, on
that particular day, November 20, at the Football House, India, we were there.”
Wenger said they are very motivated to help India develop the game.
“I would say I was always fascinated by India. My target is to improve
football in the world. And it is impossible that a country like India, 1.4
billion, is not on the football world map.
“I believe you have huge assets, fantastic qualities that make me very
optimistic about what you can do here. It is absolutely fantastic to have that
opportunity. And with my team, we are really highly motivated to help this
country develop in the game. I am convinced that it’s possible in the very
short term,” said Wenger.
Explaining how a well-oriented talent development scheme can change the
face of the game in a country, Wenger said he was in Japan at the start of
their football in 1995.
“In 1998, they were at the World Cup. So that means it is possible. You
have to start early. What will football be like in 2030? How can we imagine
what our needed quality is in 2030?
But what is for sure, is where we start with technique. Football is a
technical sport. We have to equip the players from five to 15 with the best
possible capacity to be technically at the top. That means, basically, to make
it simple, is to make the ball his friend. The rest can be developed later. And
this is absolutely vital.
“So, this is where we have to start and that is where we want to help
people to make young players technically perfect. The start of our programme is
to identify the talent and then put the best talents together,” he said.
“Imagine the potential that is here if we work well. And my main target
here is to convince people that there is a gold mine here but at the moment it
is not completely explored, exploited and encouraged,” he added.
ANI
