IMPHAL: As many as 22 boys living in dire conditions and poor feeding have been rescued from a football camp in Kerala after being recruited by different coaches and recruiters from Manipur.
This was stated by the director of the Manipur Social Welfare Department NG Uttam in a press briefing in Imphal.
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A number of complaints from Delhi and Hyderabad of ill-treated and poor feeding of the promising soccer youngsters from the state have also come in but the Manipur government is awaiting details thereof, the director stated.
These boys joined different football academies across the country after being given green signals by their parents and an apex football body in Manipur, NG Uttam said.
The director disclosed that out of 31 boys from Manipur who were recruited with the green signals through the apex football body, the All Manipur Football Association (AMFA), 22 young footballers were rescued from a firm in Kerala.
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The Director, however, didn’t name the firm to which it belongs fake or genuine.
They were brought back to the state after filing complaints of poor feeding, lived like sardines, and were packed onto each other in the camp, the Director informed.
Some of the kids rescued from the firm have been found studying below the standard they had earlier studied in the school classes in Manipur, NG Uttam ruefully stated.
When asked about the future plans of the poor kids, the director said, “The coaches and recruiters lure poor and enthusiastic kids‚ promising them they’ll play for big clubs with a good school in the future.”
Uttam also warned parents and the AMFA to be aware of child traffickers using deceptive means to potentially be a good player in the future.
He also calls for establishing a football academy having good coaches to impart training to the budding players in Manipur.