AIFF puts academy plans on hold

The academy, for which Bharti Airtel had to pump in Rs 100 crore, was to be established in Goa but a land dispute and tussle between two ministers in the state government led to the project being rendered a non-starter.  Later, it was proposed to be shifted to Haryana but Patel said the assurance given by the north Indian state government turned out to be an “oral promise”.

“The Haryana government could not give us land required for the academy,” Patel said after an emergency committee meeting of the AIFF here. “It turned out that the earlier assurance given (by Haryana government) was an oral promise,” he added.

Govt support
Meanwhile, the sports ministry will give a Rs 100 million grant to the AIFF  to prepare the under-23 team for the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

A top sports ministry official said that they are in consultation with the AIFF to chart out a roadmap for the team’s preparation. “The amount (Rs 100 million) will be spent on the team’s practice, coaching and international exposure,” he said.