2011 Asian Cup 1st step towards reviving football: Patel

“We have qualified for the AFC Asian Cup in 2011,after 24 years. Our national team is preparing to take on the best Asian nations. I think doing well in the Asian Cup will be the first step in reviving the sport in the country,” Patel said at the sidelines on an aviation seminar here today.

“We were doing well in the world of football in the past and we are now on the anvil of making a comeback,” he added.

Talking about the popularity of the game in country,Patel,also Union Civil Aviation Minister,said,”Football is the only sport which can be played in the length and breath of the country with the least infrastructure. It is the people’s sport and the most popular sport in the world.”