145;Strategic Mission146;

With winds of change blowing across the nation, Joseph Sepp Blatter8217;s visit to India attains more significance then it perhaps otherwise would have.

With winds of change blowing across the nation, Joseph Sepp Blatter8217;s visit to India attains more significance then it perhaps otherwise would have. The first such long tour by a FIFA president to any part of the world if not for World Cup-related matters, this visit is termed as 8216;a strategic mission to India8217; by AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi.

In his second term as FIFA president, Blatter is also the lone candidate for the world governing body8217;s presidential election to be held during the 57th FIFA Congress in Zurich on May 31. By the March 31 deadline for submitting candidatures, no other candidate had put in his name. Hence he is coming with a strong mandate.

Blatter8217;s arrival in India is with the theme 8216;Win in India with India8217; and his travel schedule speaks for itself. His first stop will be watching a derby match between arch rivals Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in Kolkata, a match generally watched by nearly a lakh fans at the huge Salt Lake Stadium.

In New Delhi, he will first meet the head honchos of Indian business, at a Confederation of Indian Industries meeting. Hence, despite India8217;s poor ranking in world soccer, the country8217;s booming economy and manpower becomes an attractive point for even Blatter.

Then he is set to have interactive sessions with state associations and club officials from various parts of the country. This will help him discover the deep-rooted passion for the game in the country.

8220;Blatter was impressed by Kolkata and its football history,8221; says Dasmunsi and added, 8220;That8217;s the reason why he wanted to land in Kolkata first.8221;

Blatter8217;s other visits to India had been in 1978-79, along with Joao Havelange when he had visited Chennai then Madras and Bangalore as a technical director. He was in New Delhi for the Asian Games in 1982. In an interview, Blatter has said: 8220;Now, 25 years later, it8217;s like a small jubilee.8221;

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8220;That Kolkata is home to the Indian Football Association which was born much before FIFA came into existence impressed him a lot,8221; Dasmunsi says.

Blatter will also call upon President APJ Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after his arrival in New Delhi, the next day, apart from inaugurating the AIFF headquarters at Football House in Dwarka.

Talking about the 8216;strategic mission8217; in very hush-hush tones, Dasmunsi says: 8220;He is here for something very big.8221;
We will wait.