*‘Federations need to make State Associations accountable’
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, May 8: Exploring quality stuff from quantity is the ‘mantra’ of Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS) running in nine cities of the country including Delhi, Mumbai and Chandigarh.
This was expressed by the ace footballer of India, Bhaichung Bhutia while addressing media persons after launching his Football Academy at KC Public School in an impressive, colourful and well attended function in the school premises, here today.
He said that this is the tenth football training School in the country as nine Schools with over 600 kids in regular training are already existing in prominent Cities of India, adding that Jammu was in radar for this initiative from the word go.
The face of Indian football, Bhutia said that since his retirement he has been traveling non-stop across the country to create awareness among young kids about football and importance of grass-root level coaching, so that the initiative provides him a perfect platform to interact with young kids and give them opportunity to learn from trained professionals with excellent infrastructure and allied facilities.
Referring to a question as to why he chose KC Public School as its centre in Jammu, Bhutia said that the School supported his project and has the basic infrastructural facilities available, adding that BBFS has been privy with the popularity of football in the region and has been eyeing the potential in the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
Bhaichung said that for promoting sports and games in the Country, the Associations need to work with a much more organized system to show creditability and the result and at the same time the Federations need to make State Associations more accountable and answerable.
Criticizing the Government for its jaundiced policies in enhancing the standard of sports in the Country, Bhutia said that unlike China and other such Countries, which produce extraordinary stuff through their organized system, India hardly provides enough support to sportspersons and there is least provision for allocation of funds to promote sports.
Bhutia said that apart from the lack of standard infrastructure in the country, there is also lack of sponsorship from the Corporate Houses, so expecting miracles from the Indian footballers at the International scene is like flogging a dead horse.
It is pertinent to mention here that recently the coaches of BBFS, under the supervision of its Head Coach Jose Tavares, former Portuguese International, organized a 6-day Coaches Camp at the football facility of KC Public School, to train the local coaches with its training methods and the local coaches have been identified by the BBFS to run the Academy in Jammu.
Meanwhile, R Thakur, Principal KC Public School, Ankit Arora, BBSF Operations Head for North India and Surinder Singh Bunty, resident secretary, Jammu and Kashmir FootballAssociation (JKFA) also addressed the media persons on the occasion and briefed about the initiative.
Others present in the press conference were Sudershan Mahajan, chairman KC Public School and the local football coach, Satpal Singh.
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