AIFF President Praful Patel Hails Odisha’s Steps To Promote Sports

New Delhi: All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel has lauded the efforts of Odisha government towards promoting sports.

“Odisha has set an example of how a state government can help sports thrive in a particular region. It needs to be commended. They have actively supported every sport,” Patel said at an E-summit organised by Football Delhi, the governing body of football in the national capital.

He further said FIFA acknowledges that Indian football has to be supported and strengthened for the sport to grow in the region. FIFA and AFC have made it clear that football has to be commercially viable and it has to support the overall ecosystem, he added.

Stating that it is important to professionalise the sport, he said the Hero I-League was the first step towards that. Now, the Hero ISL has taken it further, he added.

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju, AFC general secretary Dato Windsor John; Jagdish Mitra, Chief Strategic Officer, Tech Mahindra; Football Delhi president Shaji Prabhakaran and Indian skipper Sunil Chhetri were also present at the virtual meet.