India may not be among the 32 nations participating in the 2010 World Cup Football tournament being hosted in South Africa. But P.P. Lakshmanan will attend the showpiece event for the third time as a member of the Appeals Committee of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Mr. Lakshmanan will leave for South Africa soon.
Addressing a Meet-the-Press programme at the Press Club here on Saturday, Mr. Lakshmanan, who has served as secretary of the All India Football Federation and president of the Kerala Football Association and also as chairman of the Kannur municipality, said the National Football League that he had conceived was aimed at developing football in the country. “But it did not happen the way I envisaged it,” he said adding that the country required necessary facilities, including football stadiums equipped to host international events. He exuded hope that the State had the right background to develop football infrastructure.
