Gangtok, Jan. 30: Two young footballers from Sikkim have been selected for an eight-month camp in Goa where the Indian team will prepare for the second leg of the Under-19 World Cup qualifiers.
Ashish Chettri, a defender, and Bijendar Rai, a midfielder, were both unearthed by the Sikkim sports and youth affairs department’s Search for More Bhaichungs campaign. Their selection for the preparatory camp comes days after Bhaichung Bhutia, the most famous footballer to come out of Sikkim, was awarded the Padma Shri.
India sailed through the first leg of qualifiers in Saudi Arabia last year. The second leg will be held in Uzbekistan from October this year. Both Chettri and Rai had played in the first leg of matches.
The duo will leave for Goa tomorrow. The state sports department gave them a warm and friendly farewell today.
The state sports secretary, K.P. Adhikari, and other officials offered khadas (traditional scarves) and financial assistance to the footballers and wished them success. “It is a matter of pride for us that two of our boys are participating in an important camp,” Adhikari said.
Chettri and Rai were also in the Indian Under-19 football team that had recently gone to Stuttgart, Germany, for an exposure tour.
Quite a few talented young footballers have emerged from Sikkim in the recent past.
Two players of the Sikkim Sports Academy, Sanju Pradhan and Nirmal Chettri, are currently playing for Air India in Mumbai, while four boys from Namchi Sports Hostel have been selected for the 11 Gorkha Rifles’ football team.
Another talented footballer from the same hostel, Uttam Rai, was chosen as the best player in the U-14 Subroto Cup held in Delhi last year.
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