FIFA Capacity Building workshop commences in Delhi

The two-day FIFA Capacity Building Workshop for State Associations commenced in Dwarka, New Delhi on Thursday.

The Capacity Building programme which comes under FIFA Forward was launched in 2018. The programme was initially launched with 11 Indian states.

Speaking on the occasion, Kushal Das, General Secretary, All India Football Federation (AIFF) said, "I hope there will be a lot of learnings from the workshop."

"Capacity building of state associations has its own challenges and is a critical aspect. We have been trying to do it for long, and while there have been some states who have been successful, most need to up the ante," AIFF quoted Das as saying.

"Under FIFA Forward we have assisted AIFF with competitions such as the Golden Baby Leagues, the Hero Indian Women's League, the Hero Sub Junior Youth League, the NCE, etc," said Sanjeevan C Balasingam, Director Member Associations (Asia and Oceania).

The Indian football team held Asian champion Qatar to a goalless draw in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

In the absence of the legendary captain Sunil Chhetri, the win came as a major confidence booster for the Blue Tigers, whose morale had been dented after the loss against Oman in the same tournament.

"India is no more a sleeping giant. Instead, India is wide awake, the results against Qatar being the best example. We want to take it one step further, and we are here to take India to the top of World football," said Balasingam.