Between 14 and 18 April, Joseph S. Blatter will be paying an official visit to India. In the company of Mohamed Bin Hammam, the President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA vice-president, he will tour the world's second most populous country (over 1 billion inhabitants) for the first time during his tenure.

It will be an opportunity for the FIFA President to discover a land where the football tradition is very strong, despite the enormous popularity of cricket. Football was introduced to India during the 1880s, with the advent of British rule, and in states such as Bengal and Goa, it remains the most popular sport.

The first destination is Calcutta, capital of West Bengal, one of the 28 states in the Indian Federation. The city - known as Kolkata in Bengali - is the historic cradle of football in India and has spawned the country's three most important clubs since independence was gained: Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting. The nation's other top clubs are Salgaocar and Churchill Brothers (of Goa), JCT Mills (Punjab) and FC Kochin (Kerala).

The red-hot Calcutta derby
While in Calcutta, Mr. Blatter will be attending the most hotly disputed derby match in the fledgling National Football League (created in 1996) between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. Founded in 1889, Mohun Bagan are actually the oldest club in India and boast a wealth of honours that includes 12 Federation Cups and three national championships. But the more recently formed (1920) East Bengal are no slouches either, having themselves accumulated three national titles and four domestic cups. The encounter will be played in the immense Salt Lake stadium (or Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Bengali), which can hold a staggering 120,000 fans. In the 22 derbies contested since 2002, East Bengal have had the better of things, recording 11 wins compared with the six victories obtained by Mohun Bagan (plus five draws).

The following day, the President and his delegation will head for the capital, New Delhi, where they will meet with the political authorities: current Indian President Abdul Kalam and his Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. Joseph S. Blatter will also have the chance to hold discussions with representatives from the economic and industrial sectors.

Also on the agenda is the official unveiling of the association's headquarters. This new base for the national governing body has been financed by a first Goal project approved in 2002, with the foundation stone having been laid in January 2004. Since then, incidentally, a second Goal project has been approved (in December 2006), with a view to the construction of a training infrastructure and administrative offices in the states of Sikkim (north-east) and Karnataka (south), where football is less developed.

President Blatter will end his trip with discussions with the Chairmanship and Board of the All India Football Association (AIFF), along with representatives from each state's federation and from the NFL clubs. These talks will address subjects such as the future of football in the country and the assistance that FIFA can provide for its development.