Football's world governing body FIFA will develop a "special initiative" next year for the development of the sport in India.
The campaign will be officially kicked off during FIFA President Sepp Blatter's visit to India in the first quarter of 2007.
"India is a country with an amazing potential for growth of the beautiful game. It is home to 20 per cent of the world's population and deserves particular attention," Blatter said during the visit of All India Football Federation chief Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi and Secretary General Alberto Colaco to the FIFA headquarters in Zurich.
"Therefore, FIFA, in conjunction with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), is developing a special initiative for the future of Indian football," he said in a statement today.
However, Blatter was not willing to divulge any details of the proposed campaign.
"All I can say now is 'stay tuned' - years from now, people will look back and see 2007 as the start of something remarkable for our sport in India," he said.
Designed to reflect FIFA's mission statement "Develop the game, touch the world, build a better future", the initiative will utilise the wide variety of resources available to FIFA and the AFC to provide a solid foundation in infrastructure, competitions and business development.
{{/usCountry}}Designed to reflect FIFA's mission statement "Develop the game, touch the world, build a better future", the initiative will utilise the wide variety of resources available to FIFA and the AFC to provide a solid foundation in infrastructure, competitions and business development.
{{/usCountry}}Dasmunsi and Colaco were on a two-day visit to the FIFA headquarters to do the groundwork ahead of Blatter's visit to India early next year.