Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been touring Germany currently and while speaking in a conference he asked help from the Germans to help India develop its footballing scenario.
PM Modi was standing beside the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel when he made the request. He said that the German top tier league Bundesliga has a huge fan following back in India.
Held extensive talks with Chancellor Merkel on ways to deepen India-Germany ties. https://t.co/JyPRzEJA0P pic.twitter.com/O9264xf3GN
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 30, 2017
And he wanted to replicate the success that German football has achieved by investing heavily in their youth system. And he asked for the help of the Germans in order to do that.
Chancellor Merkel & I discussed ways to expand cooperation between our nations in areas such as trade, security, infrastructure and energy. pic.twitter.com/ufBeYW0brq
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 30, 2017
India football is currently at a very important crossroad. The country is scheduled to host the U-17 FIFA World Cup in October this year. This tournament is undoubtedly the biggest event that India has ever hosted. If they can pull it off successfully then India will certainly get a leverage in world football.
The domestic football scenario in India is also changing rapidly. The ISL has rapidly emerged as a star attraction in India. Many footballing legends have been associated with the tournament. And the ISL is all set to get recognition from the AFC.