Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said he saw "spark" in the under-17 footballers who represented India in their maiden FIFA World Cup, and encouraged them to consider it as stepping stone to bigger things.
The Prime Minister invited the players after they came back from Saudi Arabia following the AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers.
I personally requested for this meeting as I saw some spark in all of you. Based on your performance, people are getting to know you, so there is a huge responsibility on your shouldersPrime Minister Narendra Modi to coach Luis Norton de Matos’ boys
He further added that they must stay together as a team, and in a few years time should establish themselves as professional players.
"Consider this U17WC as just a preparation for the future. I hope you stick together as a team, and in five to seven years’ time, represent the country with great laurels," Modi stated.
Modi, a sports enthusiast, who has spoken about the significance of sports umpteenth times in ‘Mann Ki Baat’, expressed that “there is no life without sports”.“There is no life without sports. Football is a very intense game. Hope you can inspire people to inculcate sports as part of their daily lives,” Modi said.
The under-17 team presented PM Modi with the team jersey during their interaction on Friday.
The PM, who was present at the JLN Stadium in the capital during India's FIFA U-17 World Cup opener against USA on 6 October, said that Jeakson Singh's goal against Colombia in their second game was the "biggest reason for all of us to celebrate".
(With inputs from PTI)
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