CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, May 5: Expressing gratitude to the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Poornima Kumari, who has been selected for the Under-17 FIFA World Cup, said that their proper care was taken during the testing times of the pandemic as their training was affected due to Covid in Goa.
Notably, Chief Minister Hemant Soren allowed the players to practice in Jharkhand during the pandemic. She added that her village in Gumla did not have the facilities for practice, yet she played. She has been playing for the last three years.
Anjali Munda, Salina Kumari, Sudha Ankita Tirkey, Astam Oraon, Poornima Kumari, Neetu Linda and Anita Kumari from Jharkhand have been selected among the 33 Indian players for the World Cup.
The players are currently undergoing training organized in Jamshedpur. Out of these 33 players, the best 18 will be selected for the Under-17 FIFA World Cup 2022.
Around eight players from the state were involved in the FIFA World Cup sponsored in February-March of 2021. They were getting training in Goa as a part of their preparations. Due to Covid, eight women players from Jharkhand, who were part of the team, had to return to their homes.
To provide support to these girls, football kits were provided by the Department of Sports and jerseys by UNICEF. UNICEF has identified the selected players as Champions of Change for Child Rights.
UNICEF had also trained them in the form of technical support to the government on issues like child rights, issues pertaining to adolescent girls and boys, the need for proper nutrition, menstruation, hygiene, mental health and psychosocial counselling etc.
