MUMBAI: FIFA today launched a new Twitter account @FIFAHindi -- the maiden global sports federation to do so -- to cater to football fans in the most widely-spoken language in the host country -- India.

This FIFA U-17 World Cup is set to make history as it will be the first FIFA competition in India. It will also be the first participation of an Indian national team in a FIFA competition. Now, FIFA and Twitter are embarking on another ‘first’.

The Twitter account will keep fans updated on the progress of the 52-match tournament, taking them on a journey across the six venues, as 24 teams compete for the trophy. It will also update fans about important information related to their fan journey, and will retweet the best fan tweets, as #FootballTakesOver in India.

FIFA chief communications officer Fabrice Jouhaud said that they were committed to deepening their engagement with fans around the world.

FIFA knew, he said, the Indian fans were not only excited about the World Cup, but were huge supporters as well. FIFA would therefore be closely analysing the success of the Twitter account over the next four weeks, he added.

Football had a significant place on Twitter with a strong community and constantly growing conversations, said Twitter head of sports partnerships - Asia Pacific Aneesh Madani.

With the launch of the Hindi Twitter account, FIFA was transcending the barriers of language and enabling even more access, as the first-ever FIFA event in the country would kick off, Madani added.