There can be no football in Asia without India – AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam
The Qatari, running for Fifa presidency, once again highlighted the importance of the nation and believes the performance at the recent Asian Cup was "encouraging"
Each time Mohamed Bin Hammam speaks in the capital of India, he is all praise for the potential the 146th ranked nation has in the world’s most popular sport.
The AFC President, who will be competing in the Fifa presidency elections come this June against Sepp Blatter, was speaking at a meeting of the AFC Ad-Hoc Committee for Indian Football, of which he is the chairman, in Delhi on Wednesday.
He said: “I believe that since we last met we have achieved a lot. I appreciate your commitment and dedication because without this no improvement can take place. In my capacity as AFC President, I am very much committed.
“Without India there can be no football in Asia. We will work hand in hand to achieve our goal,” said Bin Hammam.
He went on to praise the efforts of the Indian national team at the 2011 Asian Cup and highlighted that such appearances in major tournaments only go onto encourage the sport in the country.
Bin Hamman added: “Another evidence was the participation of the Indian team in the Asian Cup in Doha.
“We were happy to see the progress of the team and though we need a lot more, the appearance at the Asian Cup was not a bad one. It was an encouraging one. It made the people think of how much India is capable of giving to Asia."
The AFC President, who will be competing in the Fifa presidency elections come this June against Sepp Blatter, was speaking at a meeting of the AFC Ad-Hoc Committee for Indian Football, of which he is the chairman, in Delhi on Wednesday.
He said: “I believe that since we last met we have achieved a lot. I appreciate your commitment and dedication because without this no improvement can take place. In my capacity as AFC President, I am very much committed.
“Without India there can be no football in Asia. We will work hand in hand to achieve our goal,” said Bin Hammam.
He went on to praise the efforts of the Indian national team at the 2011 Asian Cup and highlighted that such appearances in major tournaments only go onto encourage the sport in the country.
Bin Hamman added: “Another evidence was the participation of the Indian team in the Asian Cup in Doha.
“We were happy to see the progress of the team and though we need a lot more, the appearance at the Asian Cup was not a bad one. It was an encouraging one. It made the people think of how much India is capable of giving to Asia."
