The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Saturday said it wants to see the country's national team breach the top 100 of the world football rankings within three years.
"Our aim is to break into the top 100 in three years. We have been sliding in the rankings consistently. We need to develop the infrastructure as well as concentrate on grass roots level development.
That is possible only by making it totally professional," AIFF president Praful Patel said at a media conference here. Mr Patel, also Union civil aviation minister, was speaking at a function to send off two south Mumbai school boys, Hussain Vahanvaty (St Mary’s) and Shaun Fernandes (St Peters), for a six-week training stint with the English club Queen's Park Rangers.
The duo was picked through a talent hunt programme initiated by South Mumbai MP Milind Deora in 2009. The AIFF chief said all the I-League clubs of the country have been given time till February next to become totally professional outfits by fulfilling all the licensing criteria laid down by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
"In October we will have an audit of all these clubs and by February the full details of the clubs fulfilling the AFC laid down licensing criteria will be out," Mr Patel said.
"FIFA president Sepp Blatter and AFC chief (Mohammed bin Hammam) are clear that if football is to be called a truly global game, it has to catch up big time in India." he said.