Gurgaon: European champions FC Barcelona wants to "inspire future champions out of young kids" in India, says FCBEscola coach Josep `Pep` Moratalla.
"We have heard of Bhaichung Bhutia but we want to inspire future champions out of these young kids," Moratalla said today during the club`s football camp here.
The five-day camp, organised by Concient Football, saw youth coaches from Barcelona imparting tips to aspiring footballers at the Heritage school grounds.
Besides coaches from the illustrious club, also present with the kids were some of the well known faces of Indian football.
Climax Lawrance, Gouramangi Singh, Clifford Miranda, Jeje Lalpekhluah and C S Sabeeth, who landed in the capital for the Bhutia`s farewell match against Bayern Munich on January 10, interacted and played with the kids.
The friendly match also involved FC Barcelona coaches, Aleix Gibert Buxeda and Antoni Claveria.
This was the second camp organised by the group, the first being held at the British School in Delhi between December 30 and January 4.
A total of 360 children within the age group of 8 to 17 years are part of the two camps.
The camp also includes 20 girls and 18 children from the economically weaker sections.
Talking to the reporters on the occasion, striker Jeje said the coming of foreign clubs to India will help in raising the profile of the sport in the country.
"These activities will help to raise the profile of the game but the thing is that such events should be organised at more regular intervals," said Jeje.
Climax endorsed the views of his young India mate but insisted that the infrastructure remains a concern.
"I was just watching some kids getting vital tips from the coach, it was really good to see, but if we want to compete at the highest level then the existing infrastructure has to be made better, particularly the grounds. If you don`t have the grounds then it is going to be very difficult," Climax said.
"I don`t think Barcelona FC will be able to maintain the same touch on the grounds here," he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Moratalla said that they will teach the trainers here to impart knowledge to the kids.
"It will be difficult to import the coaches but we will teach the trainers here on the lines of FC Barcelona and they will then impart the knowledge to the kids. We will have a director looking over the functions here," he added.
The coach also replied in positive when asked whether there was any chance of the star-studded team coming to India in future.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.