Graphic: how Manchester United are painting the world red

Where in the world do Manchester United fans come from?

Manchester United are already a household name in Asia and Africa and now hope to expand their global empire into India. The country has the fastest-growing economy after China and is in the midst of an economic boom that United believe could create a wealth of opportunities and turn the region into one of the sporting capitals of the world.

Although India is more synonymous with cricket than football, David Gill, the United chief executive, believes that the creation of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which has taken the commercialisation of cricket to a new level, merely serves to demonstrate the country's appetite for sport in general, not to mention its considerable financial clout.

The television rights for the IPL were sold in January by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the sport's organising body in the country, for a staggering $1billion (about £503million), while the auction of eight new city teams raised a further $720million. And all that was before the bidding began for a pool of the world's leading players.

United have turned down a number of opportunities to tour India because they are visiting South Africa and Nigeria this week and did Asia last summer, but that may be about to change as the club expand their operation. “India is interesting,” Gill said. “We have been approached to go there and are looking at some soccer school opportunities in the country. I know Chelsea have done something and I think Barcelona have.

“They do have ambitions and have a key goal to make it to the World Cup. Whether they can make it or not, I do not know, but it's a huge country. Look at the IPL. That has shown it's a very wealthy country and it is definitely worth looking at. Other clubs will look at it and so will we.”

United expect to launch a credit card in India in the next six months once AIG, the Barclays Premier League and European champions' principal sponsor, has settled on the right partner, while the prospect of establishing a series of football schools in the country, much as they have elsewhere in the world, is being given serious consideration.

As regards MUTV, the club's in-house television station, there is a pan-Asian deal that does not include Japan, China and South Korea - three of their biggest fan bases - but which reaches 84.3million homes.

India does not have full access to MUTV - supporters who subscribe to the Goal TV channel pick up some MUTV programmes as part of that package - but that is likely to change.

Of United's estimated 333million followers worldwide, 20million live in India's urban population, more than half of whom are said to be “core” fans.

Although United are expected to visit Asia again next summer, it would be no surprise if they toured India in 2010. Given that the country is the fourth largest in the world in terms of purchasing power, a tour in the next few years would seem inevitable.

“The interest in football around the world is increasing - it is not saturated,” Gill said. “We have worked on our global position for many years, but it would be wrong to think that we are impregnable. If we did that, we would get knocked off our perch.”