**Young Footballers from Madhya Pradesh’s ‘Mini Brazil’ Selected for Advanced Coaching in Germany**
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A group of young football players from Madhya Pradesh’s ‘Mini Brazil’ have been selected to travel to Germany for advanced football coaching. The players are beyond excited and happy, expressing their eagerness to make a career in football and learn as much as possible during this unique opportunity.
Three boys and two girls from Vicharpur in Shahdol district have been chosen by the State Sports Department to train under the guidance of German football player and coach Dietmar Beiersdorfer. Beiersdorfer has personally taken the initiative to train these talented youngsters and their coach at Hamburger SV, a renowned football club in Hamburg, Germany.
The players are scheduled to depart India on October 3, with coaching sessions set to begin from October 4 to October 12. Their visa applications are currently being processed, and those approved will make the journey abroad.
The young footballers, aged between 15 and 17 years, come from humble rural backgrounds. Among them, two are tribals, two belong to Dalit communities, and one comes from an OBC caste. Accompanying them will be their coach, Laxmi Sahees.
The selected players include:
– Suhani Kol (ST)
– Veerendra Baiga (ST)
– Saniya Kunde (SC)
– Manish Ghasiya (SC)
– Pritam Kumar (OBC)
Fifteen-year-old Suhani Kol, a Grade 10 student, has already participated in national-level U-14 and U-19 tournaments. She shared, “I had never thought I would ever travel on an aircraft.” The group previously traveled by air to Mumbai to obtain their visas. “That was only an hour’s journey. The flight to Germany will take eight hours,” she said excitedly.
Suhani’s personal story is inspiring. Her father passed away ten years ago, and she now lives with her mother and younger brother at her grandmother’s home. Her mother earns a living by selling clothes. Initially, her grandmother was hesitant to allow Suhani to play football, but she changed her mind after Suhani’s achievements became evident. Ronaldo is Suhani’s favorite footballer.
Fifteen-year-old Saniya Kunde expressed immense excitement about the trip, saying her excitement is “bahut jyada wala.” Her father works in a DJ group, her grandfather was also a footballer, and her elder brother plays football as well. Despite her brother advising against playing due to the risk of injury, she persisted in her passion.
Pritam Kumar, whose father passed away during his childhood and whose mother works in a private hospital, shared that no one else in his family plays football. Nevertheless, he has proudly represented at the national level twice.
Seventeen-year-old Manish Ghasiya is thrilled about the chance to travel abroad and train internationally. “I only want that I should take maximum advantage of the coaching,” he expressed.
This opportunity marks a significant milestone for these young athletes from Madhya Pradesh, enabling them to gain exposure and skills that could shape their future careers in football. The community and sports officials alike are hopeful that this experience will inspire many more youngsters to pursue sports passionately.
https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/mp-news-mini-brazil-football-players-from-shahdols-rural-backgrounds-picked-for-coaching-in-germany
