Kolkata: FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the International friendly between Argentina and Venezuela here on September 2 was an indication that football’s popularity was on the rise in a cricket-dominated country.
In a message to city-based Celebrity Management Group who are organising the spectacle, Blatter said the match would surely boost football’s popularity in the country.
Messi and Co will clash against their South American rival Venezuela, two countries with a strong football tradition, in a rare match to be held in Yuba Bharati Krirangan, something that is a part of FIFA’s development programme.
“It’s clear that FIFA’s development work in this huge country is starting to bear fruit…Football is starting to occupy an increasingly important place in Indian society,” Blatter wrote in a message to the sports management firm.
“I have no doubt that the match will go a long way towards boosting football’s popularity in India even further,” he said thanking the AIFF for making the event possible.
He further said that their vision of a programme launched 10 years ago had started paying dividends. (PTI)