Dear Colleagues,
Please find below the interview of AIFF’s Director of Scouting, Chief Operating Officer of the Indian U-17 World Cup Squad Abhishek Yadav and U-17 World Cup Squad member Boris Singh : ---------------------- SUNNY DHALIWAL AND NAMIT DESHPANDE HAVE SET AN EXAMPLE: ABHISHEK YADAV *By Joseph Solomon,* *AIFF Media Team* *NEW DELHI: *The Overseas Scouting project which was launched as a joint venture between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Sports Authority of India (SAI) has been a huge hit for scouting Indian talents outside of the Nation as it has beefed up the ranks of the Indian U-17 World Cup squad through two new recruitments. In an exclusive interview with AIFF’s Director of Scouting, Chief Operating Officer of the Indian U-17 World Cup Squad Abhishek Yadav, the former Indian Captain talks at length about the two NRIs who are now part of the U-17 Team, the passion among NRIs, the future plans and much more. *EXCERPTS:* *How has the Indian U-17 World Cup Team benefited from the Overseas Scouting Project?* One US national and one Canadian national have joined the Indian U-17 World Cup Squad’s camp. Namit Deshpande, who lives and studies in the US, is a good player & will strengthen the squad. Namit had a valid Indian Passport and he is eligible to play while the Canadian national, Sunny Dhaliwal, has surrended his Canadian passport now and acquired an Indian passport. It should be known that getting these boys here has been a joint effort between the respective parents, the AIFF and SAI & the concerned ministry. The families have taken a significant step, primarily driven by the urge to serve the country through football. They have set an example for dozens of others to follow. *Will the interest to serve the Country through sports increase for NRIs?* Gauging from the interest shown by a few other parents of talented footballers from other age-groups living overseas, I foresee the possibility of Namit & Sunny turning into some sort of pioneers for the Indian-community overseas. It excites me because I imagine this process is not just for football. Other sport disciplines can also benefit from eligible talent, which is developing across the globe but aspires to wear India colours. *How did the families of the two boys react?* There is a lot of pride out there, a lot of emotion, a lot of yearning to give something back to their roots. It is palpable. It will increase competition and raise the performance of Indian sport. It will also serve to strengthen the bond between the Indian-community living overseas and in India. *What next for the Overseas Scouting Portal?* I wish to expand overseas scouting itself to include age-groups other than U-17, for boys and for girls. A calendar will be set for physical scouting activities. Rules regarding acquisition of Indian passport will be published with due permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs. *When did you come across this idea?* Around September last year (2016) I came across this idea and the idea was to reach out and provide opportunity to every Indian across the globe who qualifies to contibute something to Indian Football. *How did the Overseas Scouting Portal help in scouting?* The portal gives a face to the Overseas Scouting Project. It helps in establishing credibility while providing information about the project; it gives players direct access to the scouting team while capturing data. *How does the Overseas Scouting Portal help the Indian National Teams?* Overseas Players bring diversity into the team. They have a different perspective; they have grown up playing against different nationalities, used to a different climate. These and several other nuanced factors have the potential to bolster the confidence of the team & gives the head coach additional options. ---------------------- FOOTBALL GAVE ME ANOTHER LIFE: BORIS SINGH *By Joseph Solomon, * *AIFF Media Team* *NEW DELHI:* For a defender whose stamina seems never-ending and whose agility often leaves opposition bewildered, Boris Singh often runs out of words when he describes his journey. “I used to play football with a tennis ball when I was in school. It is what we had at that time and we had to make the most out of it”, says Boris. It is almost unfathomable to see a kid who started playing football with a tennis ball become an integral element of the Indian U-17 World Cup Squad. Almost cinematic, some might say, but that is what Boris Singh’s life has been. “My father used to help my mother run a grocery shop, but after the grocery shop got shut, he started working on daily terms” “Football was something which gave me freedom. I could do what I wanted to do on the field and it felt amazing. It gave me another life” But like his role model Cristiano Ronaldo, Boris Singh’s journey was not easy. “There were hard times”, he recalls. “My father wanted me to study and he was very strict when I was young and at the same time I wanted to play football” “I used to play football with kids twice my age and I used to get battered almost every game. I was in a position where I did not know what was working for me in life, what was not” “Should I study or should I play football?”, a rhetorical question Boris asks himself and then after a second answers, “I stuck with football”, with a wide smile. Then good tidings came. “My father recognized my passion for football and after a while he started dropping me off to the football ground and picking me up after practice” “Soon after I won my first trophy in football at a district level and thereafter it was as if my life had been chipped for football” The nimble footed defender went on to represent India U-17s in the AFC U-16 Championship and has played a vital clog in defence, most recently in the Four-Nation Tournament in Mexico. But it is not as if Boris Singh isn’t tempted almost everyday to live life like a normal teenager. “There is temptations, a lot of temptations” “There are times when I want to eat an ice cream or have a beverage, but I cannot because that will spoil my diet. It gets hard some days but then I would not want to change a thing” “It all comes down to priorities. My priority is to make my nation proud in the FIFA U-17 World Cup and I am focused for it. I fight temptation with motivation and I am living a dream which I don’t want to end”, adds Boris. ------------------- For all other updates and all news and exclusive pictures please follow our Official Twitter Handle *https://twitter.com/IndianFootball <https://twitter.com/IndianFootball>* Also, please follow and like the Official Page of Indian Football on Facebook *https://www.facebook.com/TheIndianFootballTeam <https://www.facebook.com/TheIndianFootballTeam>* Also, please follow and like the Official Account of Indian Football on Instagram *https://www.instagram.com/IndianFootball* <https://www.instagram.com/IndianFootball> Media Department, AIFF. Alternate: [email protected] Website: www.the-aiff.com
