Chelsea146;s vision India to be routed through AFC

The latest to join the bandwagon are London-based Chelsea FC. Peter Kenyon, the chief executive officer of the club, is accompanying London Mayor Ken Livingston on an ongoing Confederation of Indian Industries CII conference here.

8220;If India can crack professional football for itself, then it will be good for football as a whole,8221; Kenyon told The Indian Express on Monday.

When asked about football8217;s task in India, Kenyon said: 8220;I8217;m not sure it is about 8216;taking on cricket8217;. With a population of 1.1 billion, India is sufficiently big for more than one sport to prosper.

8220;This Professional League should give the game a new dimension. But the onus will be on the federation and the clubs to make it a successful event.8221;

The Blues are a major partner of AFC with the 8216;Vision Asia8217; programme a grassroots development module for leveraging the standard of the sport in the continent. The London-based club is mulling the possibility of a partnership in the 8216;Vision India8217; programme.

8220;We have already set our feet in Asia with the Vision China programme, which is currently running in five cities. It has been a success for us and we want to replicate the same in India,8221; said Kenyon.

Kenyon, along with Simon Greenberg, clubs communication8217;s director met AIFF president P R Dasmunsi to discuss possible areas of cooperation.

8220;We want to have a long term partnership with India, a lot of thought has gone into it and we are committed for helping India in all possible ways. Our main aim will be to nurture talent in a well-planned manner. But everything will done in under the umbrella of the AFC,8221; said Kenyon.

Chelsea, with two premiership titles in last three years, are one of the most closely followed clubs in Asia, and India is a fast emerging market for football with a huge young clientele.

8220;It is not our motive to take over the world. We want to see good, healthy football played in its own countries, in its own leagues,8221; said Kenyon.

Talking about globalisation and the changing dynamics of sports, the Chelsea chief executive, said: 8220;We are in a period of great change but I8217;m pretty sure we will see more in the next 10 years,8217; he says. 8220;We are yet to understand fully the potential of new media and its global penetration and what will happen to football in India, China and Africa.8221;

The dynamics are changing, there are challenges to the traditional approaches and attitudes8217; that will shape the future of sport,8221; he said.

The premiership clubs are looking to 8216;break8217; the Indian market, starting with pre-season tours to the subcontinent. Chelsea are looking at the future tours right now.

8220;The earliest we can come here is 2009. We would want to bring in Chelsea top side and organise some matches at the football hubs of the country,8221; he said.

Simon said Chelsea8217;s involvement is not 8220;just about business opportunities, but to create a healthy engagement and partnership in promoting soccer.8221;

Inputs from Ayon Sengupta