India's cash-starved football body has held out a begging bowl to the affluent Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), seeking funds to support the national side's preparations for the 2011 Asian Cup finals in Qatar.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has requested a one-time assistance for its "Goal 2011" project and the BCCI is likely to give Rs 10 crores, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The AIFF plans to keep 25 players exclusively on national duty from nine months before the tournament, seen as vital to lifting the fortunes of the team ranked 147 in the world.
