Bin Hammam to chair Ad-hoc Committee on Indian Football

New Delhi: The Ad-hoc Committee for Professionalising Indian Football will take stock of the progress of the game in the country in a meeting under the chairmanship of AFC chief Mohamed bin Hammam.

Hammam, on a two-day visit to India, will chair the meeting. All India Football Federation chief Praful Patel, who is deputy chairman of the committee, will also be present. Alongwith AFC Vice-President and FIFA Executive Committee member Manilal Fernando, prominent Indian club owners and officials are members of the committee, whose aim is to professionalise football in the country. Several issues of importance will be taken up for discussion and decision during the meeting. The committee in its last meeting in September 2010 saw the members expressing their views and aspirations for Indian football, discussing the way forward for the game to reclaim its past glory.Following the meeting, an AFC team had carried out a wide-randing and thorough inspection of all I-League clubs, starting October 23 and ending November 1 last year. On November 2, a workshop for I-League clubs, including the second division outfits, was conducted by AFC before the third meeting of the committee on November 21.AIFF President Patel had reiterated the deadline of December 31, 2010, for all I-League clubs to adopt the AFC criteria if they want to qualify to take part in the AFC Champions League. PTI