Games India : Football in India
19 01 2008The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the amateur organisation which manages the game of football in India. It administers the running of the national team and also controls the National Football League, India’s premier domestic club competition, in addition to various other competitions.
The AIFF was founded in 1937, and gained FIFA affiliation in the year 1948, after India’s independence in 1947.
India was one of the founder members of the Asian Football Confederation when it was set up in 1954.
The India national football team is the national football team of India and is controlled by the All India Football Federation. It is a member of the Asian Football Confederation, and a member of FIFA. The team plays at the Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi and the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkota.
Known as the ’soccer powerhouse’ in the South Asian Football Federation region, the Indian National Football Team is the 117th ranked team in the FIFA World Rankings (April 2006). This team is controlled by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) which was founded in 1937.
The team enjoyed better times in the past. They qualified for the 1950 World Cup, finished 4th in the football tournament at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, won gold medal in Asian Games 1962 and finished 4th and 3rd in 1966 and 1970 Asian Games respectively. But now, qualifying for the Asian Cups or the World Cups seems some distance away.
The rising popularity of cricket and poor sponsorship have led to a lack of quality players in the National Team. However, Nike has signed a deal of seven-year sponsorship in February 2006.
