The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has urged all states and Union Territories to take necessary steps to popularize and promote football, in a bid to make U-17 World Cup which will be held in India a success.
In a letter sent to all Chief Secretaries of states and Union Territories, the Secretary, Department of Sports Shri Rajiv Yadav said that FIFA U-17 World Cup is going to be held in India in October, 2017 and it is the first time that this prestigious tournament will be held in India.
Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Mann ki Baat’ programme on 27 March, the letter said that Modi had called for building an atmosphere and fervour of football in the country as a run up to the FIFA U-17 World Cup. He wants football to be played in every nook and corner of the country.
“The campaign intends to engage at least 11 million youth around the beautiful game in the country. This campaign plus our belief that India’s U-17 squad can compete with some of the top countries in the world, makes me confident that the Indian football landscape will begin to transform over the next few years.” explained Kushal Das, General Secretary of the AIFF.
