Gurpreet hails talent hunt for jr World Cup

New Delhi, September 24

Indian national team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, the first footballer from the country to play in an Europa League tie, has hailed attempts to identify talent for the Indian team for next year’s Under-17 FIFA World Cup.

“I understand the intent is to find potential players who can represent India in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. I hope it works and I wish all the luck for the people initiating it,” Gurpreet said from Norway. Gurpreet lauded former India striker Abhishek Yadav, who heads the project. “It’s obviously a plus to have Abhishek bhai heading the initiative. He has played for India at the highest level and knows what kind of potential we require in order to compete with the best,” he said.

Gurpreet said that he has seen and heard about many Indian boys playing in various academies in Norway.

“I have seen some Indian kids in Norway and I have heard that clubs like Valerenga Fotball, Stromsgodset IF and some other second division clubs located near Oslo have one or maybe more Indian origin kids playing for them and training in their academies,” he said. “But I am not sure whether they hold a valid Indian passport or not.” — PTI