Footpath to football history: U-17 boys pin hopes on World Cup

PANAJI: Sanjeev Stalin's mother sells clothes on a footpath in Bengaluru and her son, an India Under-17 footballer, still cannot figure how she managed to buy him the boots to fuel his passion for the game. Striker Aniket Jadhav's father drives an autorickshaw in Kolhapur, but the journey to the Capital to watch his son play in the World Cup next month is proving a challenge.

Most players of India's Under-17 team face a strange predicament. Here, they are on the cusp of a historic never-before — even a never-after, because they will probably be the only set of Indians who will play a World Cup in football, at least in our lifetimes — but given their humble backgrounds, they're not sure their families will make it to Delhi next month to watch them make history.

When ex-India captain Renedy Singh visited players' families in Manipur - eight of the squad belongs to the state -- he became aware of their plight. The former Manipur footballer tapped his contacts in the state's sport circles and administration, who have now promised a round trip for two members from each family.

But back in Imphal, Ninthoinganba Meitei's mother, who sells fermented fish in the local market, is still worried. What happens when Ninthoi returns to his tin-roofed shack? It's not just in Manipur where football and poverty co-exist. Jitendra Singh's father is a watchman in Bengal, while Anwar Ali, India's first-choice defender from Punjab, used to graze cattle during his school days. Football, they say, is a great leveller. And families of the U-17 players are also counting on it to be a great uplifter. Once the World Cup dust settles, many of these families will open their doors to club officials and agents with lucrative contracts.