India must groom talented footballers at tender age :Sao Paulo chief

Jamshedpur, Jan 30 (UNI) President of Brazil's premier football club Sao Paulo Juvenal Juvencio today said India would become a force to reckon with in the near future if it could tap and groom the talented players at tender age.

Talking to mediapersons here on the eve of tomorrow's match between his club and Kolkata's Mohammedan Sporting Club, Dr Juvencio said, ''There is no dearth of talent in a country like India which boasts more than one billion people. But it needs good infrastructure and more training centers to tap the budding talents from the age group of 10.'' He said India would make a mark in the international soccer map if the football administrators extended sincere support towards the game.

Dr Juvencio said, '' Brazilians are not economically strong but despite the monetary problems the country dominates the soccer world because we have strong base and we nurture the talents from very young age and above all we love the game from the core of our heart".

He said the purpose of the Super Soccer series was to promote football globally and to experience the standard of football in different countries.

President of Indian Football Association (IFA) Aditya Kashyap, the brain behind the revival of Super Soccer Series in association with Tata Steel after a gap of 13 years, said Indian football clubs would get a good exposure of the Latin American football from this series, being held to improve the standard of Indian football.

Meanwhile, soccer fever gripped the steel city for tomorrow's match and the players of both teams had practice sessions at TFA ground and the JRD Tata Sports Complex here.

UNI