From correspondents in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 10:30 PM IST

Zinedine Zidane, France's celebrated striker and one of the world's most popular football stars, began a two-day tour of Bangladesh Tuesday to promote football and Danone, a French food-processing company, officials said.

Tens of thousands of soccer fans gathered at a sports stadium in downtown Dhaka to watch the star dribble the ball with budding local players.

Security was tightened at the airport as crowds carrying Zidane's portraits swelled hours before his arrival overnight.

'We had to cancel an airport press conference because of security concerns,' said an official of the Bangladesh Football Federation which co-hosted Zidane's visit with the grassroots Grameen Bank.

Zidane, accompanied by Grameen Bank founder and Nobel Peace laureate Mohammad Yunus, toured two villages on the outskirts of the capital that had beaten back poverty with micro-credits from the Bank of the Poor.

Zidane was expected to open a joint venture of Danone and Grameen Bank, producing 3,000 kg of yoghurt daily.

Danone officials said more such factories would be set up in the near future in Bangladesh.

--DPA

(Staff Writer, © IANS)