I-League to promote football, says AIFF vice-president

"AIFF has initiated all possible steps to promote football as we are targetting India's participation in the 2022 World Cup," Dutta said here yesterday.

FIFA has promised all possible assistance to promote the game and already given eight artificial turfs with promise for more in future, he said.

India has expressed its willingness to host the Under-17 World Cup championship in 2017 and the world body was to finalise the venue soon, he said expressing confidence that India's bidding for the U-17 World Cup will be heard fairly.

Indian football will get a boost, if the U-17 World Cup would be allotted to us, he opined.

"We have adequate infrastructure to host the championship, which would also allow further scope to improve it before 2017," he said.

When asked about the recent statement of FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke that I-league had failed to impress even after five season and needed to have a commercial as well as television partner to make it more attractive, Dutta said I-league is step in right direction to promote the game in the country and the league has helped the Indian football to gain popularity in the country. More