Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, a renowned football player during his younger days, took part in a football promotional event in New Delhi on May 19.
Singh, who played at the national level, expressed his happiness at India hosting the FIFA Under-17 World Cup and urged the kids to play the beautiful game.
Attending the event, youth affairs and sports minister Vijay Goel invited players with a minimum age of 8 years to upload their video or biodata on the sports ministry talent search portal. The minister said that talented young players will be adopted and given scholarships by the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
“1,000 children will be given scholarships”, Goel added. The minister also said that he has been checking out the facilities at different venues of FIFA Under-17 World Cup.
In the promotional event, a 25-feet ball was launched to popularize football in the country.
The objective behind the event was to popularise football in the country, in view of FIFA Under-17 World Cup being hosted in India from October 6 to October 28, 2017.
Well-known cricketer Mohammed Kaif was also present on the occasion. Apart from other dignitaries, around 100 football-loving children were a part of the gathering.
