French expert Arsene Wenger, who led Arsenal for 22 years and wrote the history of English football, now works for FIFA and specializes in the development of football around the world. He is currently focusing his work on India and its football development. In a meeting with the president of India’s football association, Kalyan Chaubey, Wenger expressed his fascination with the country and his desire to improve football there.

“India has always fascinated me,” he said. “My goal is to improve football in the world, and it’s impossible that there isn’t a country like India on the world football map, which has 1.4 billion inhabitants. I believe you have great strengths and fantastic characteristics that make me optimistic about what can be done here.”

Wenger believes that there is a gold mine in Indian football waiting to be discovered and exploited. He plans to convince people of this potential by working closely with coach Igor Štimac, who has been on the bench for India since 2019 and leads its U23 national team. So far, he has sat on the bench in 46 games, winning 19 times, drawing 13 times and losing 14 games.

“I am excited about this opportunity,” said Wenger. “My team and I are very motivated to help with the growth of Indian football.”