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In wake of U-17 women’s plight, AIFF okays diet aid
The players were part of the national preparatory camp in Goa for the rescheduled FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup but it was stalled in March because of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has decided to support every player of the U-17 women’s national team camp with a monthly dietary allowance of Rs 10,000 for two months—June and July. The players were part of the national preparatory camp in Goa for the rescheduled FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup but it was stalled in March because of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Earlier scheduled for November this year, the event will be hosted by India in February 2021. Last month, local media reports in Jharkhand claimed eight of the state’s players who were part of the preparatory camp, were facing acute financial crises at their homes and weren’t able to arrange even one square meal a day, leave alone stay fit or train at home. “We hope the national camp will start in August. Once the girls are in the camp they will get good food,” Kushal Das, general secretary of the AIFF said. “In case the camp doesn’t start in August, we will continue to give financial support.”
The eight players are Sunita Kumari, Sumati Kumari, Sudha Ankita Tirkey, Poornima Kumari, Ashtam Oraon, Amisha Bakhla, Neetu Linda and Salina Kumari. The rest of the 24 players selected for the national team camp include seven from Manipur and three from Odisha. After having raised the issue, it seems the girls have been asked not to speak to anyone about their crises. “They can’t talk to journalists,” said a football coach from Odisha.
Moirangthem Ratankumar Singh, president of the All Manipur Football Association, said the lockdown has made it very difficult to stay in touch with players who don’t live in towns. “Since viral cases have spiked in the state, it has become difficult to monitor what the selected players for the World Cup are doing to stay fit,” he said, adding, “We have plans to give them one football each so they can juggle with the ball at home.”
To resume camp, the AIFF will follow guidelines from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), said Das. “Till date we haven’t got the nod to resume training for team events,” Das said. “Goa will be the venue when the camp resume. It has good facilities.”
