Cricket-loving India "is a sleeping giant as far as football is concerned," according to THE NATIONAL. The national side is 137th in the world rankings and, "on the only occasion" it qualified for the World Cup in '50, pulled out "without kicking a ball." However, the country of 1.3 billion "is finally waking up to the most popular sport on the planet." The Indian Super League is in its third season and All India Football Federation Secretary General Kushal Das said that the country "is aiming to qualify for the 2026 World Cup." Dutchman Piet Hubers, a former defender for Dutch top-flight club NEC Nijmegen, believes that developing the sport at a grassroots level "is fundamental to India’s plans." Hubers: "The more players you get into the system, the better the quality will be at the top." The ISL, promoted by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries and Rupert Murdoch’s Star India TV, has its own grassroots program of which Hubers is technical director. Started in '14, the scheme’s first target is to give 500,000 children between the ages of six and 14 the chance to play football and get coaching (THE NATIONAL, 12/14).
