'India should host 2014 World Cup'

Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mani Shankar Aiyar hoped that India, who did not qualify for the football World Cup finals being held in Germany, would improve its standards in years to come and may even bid for staging the World Cup in 2014 or four years later.

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He was addressing a gathering of VVIPs and former and present footballers on Friday in New Delhi, organised by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Priyaranjan Dasmunshi to watch the opening game between Germany and Costa Rica.

India is currently ranked 117. Dasmunshi is also the president of the All India Football Association.

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Amongst the players present was current Indian football captain Baichung Bhutia, former international stars like Inder Singh of the Jagatjit Cotton Textile Mills (Phagwara) and former Mohan Bagan and East Bengal players who represented India.

"This show has been organised by Prasar Bharti," the minister declared and invited the guests to stay back for dinner.

According to sources in the ministry, Dasmunshi took personal interest in putting together the whole show.

Mementoes were given to the past players and Bhutia in turn presented the World Cup flag to the officials from Germany and South Africa, who are playing host to 2006 and 2010 World Cup matches respectively.