AIFF to seek expertise from French Football Federation

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Tuesday entered into an agreement with the French Football Federation (FFF) to seek "technical expertise for further development of the sport" in the country.

AIFF president Praful Patel signed an agreement with the FFF on Tuesday to begin the partnership.

The AIFF had earlier signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Japan Football Association and the German Football Association (DFB) to improve the poor football standards in the country. India are currently ranked 147th in the world.

"It's an honour to enter into an agreement with the French Football Federation," Patel said.

"We look forward to learn from their technical expertise for further development of the sport."

As per the agreement, the parties agreed to cooperate and collaborate in every sphere of footballing activity from technical excellence to administrative and organisational support. India are scheduled to host the 2017 Under-17 football World Cup.

The agreement will also allow the AIFF to arrange for "exposure trips" for matches with French teams and participation in youth tournaments in France for India's U-17 team, which has secured an automatic qualification in the under-age World Cup after India won the right to host the tournament.