Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam Tuesday slammed India's almost stagnant development in the sport, saying the country had not realized its vast potential. “You have the population, the economy, the talent needed to become a successful footballing nation, but unfortunately I have not seen much happening,” Hammam, who is Qatari, told reporters. “In football, all the stakeholders need to perform. I think the main barrier preventing football development in India is the lack of infrastructure.” Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), was in New Delhi for a meeting of its special committee on the development of Indian professional football. He said the sport received little support in the country. “The AIFF (All India Football Federation) is only one element in a vast network of stakeholders,” he said. “You have the central government, the state governments, sponsors, fans, media and so many more stakeholders.” India, currently ranked a lowly 138th in the world, has never played in the World Cup and its last Olympic appearance was 50 years ago, despite finishing fourth in the 1956 Melbourne Games. Hammam said Indian football had a long history, having hosted the world's second oldest tournament, the Durand Cup, since 1888. “There is no reason why India should lag behind the rest of Asia,” he said. “India's involvement with football is certainly deep. The AFC believes we cannot succeed with whatever we do in Asia without India taking on and playing a leading role.” AIFF president Praful Patel told the FIFA.com website last week that the national federation had begun work to improve football infrastructure in the country. Patel, a federal cabinet minister, said FIFA had sanctioned money for laying eight artificial turfs in India after his meeting with world governing body chief Sepp Blatter in Zurich on Sept. 9. Patel added he hoped for a good showing by the national team at the Asian Cup in Qatar in January, where India is drawn with Australia, South Korea and Bahrain in the tough Group C. “Our team is already hard at work under coach Bob Houghton,” Patel said. “We've qualified for the first time in 24 years and we intend to make a good impression.” Patel added the AIFF was trying to develop football at the grassroots level to make it more popular. “We know our infrastructures are too weak and we have now set ourselves specific objectives,” he said.
