Setback for Haryana girls

Gaurav Kanthwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, april 4

The postponement of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup has caused a heartbreak among the footballers from Haryana and Manipur who formed the core of the Indian national camp in Goa.

As many as seven footballers from Hisar and Jind in Haryana — Anju (striker), Kiran (midfielder), Nisha (right-back), Poonam (midfielder), Ritu (left-back), Anshika (goalkeeper) and Tanu (goalkeeper) — were training in Goa.

The camp was disbanded on March 14 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the players had to return home. As many as eight players from Manipur too were in the camp. The AIFF had selected the probables after the national championships Kolhapur in April last year, where the Haryana girls, representing Himachal Pradesh, had won the title.

The players are worried about the uncertainty over their future and are keeping their fingers crossed over the new date for the showpiece event.

Right-back Nisha, a product of an academy in Chuli Bagrian, Hisar, said, “It is a big setback. We were expecting something on these lines ever since we left the camp. It seems like all the preparation and hard work has been wasted. Our coaches have been working so hard on us. We have had foreign exposure trips to get ready for the tournament. All that has to be done again.”

Due to the lockdown, the girls have been unable to train properly and the coming one year will be tough on them as they have to maintain their form and also avoid the risk of getting injured. Most of the girls come from modest backgrounds and have to depend on financial aid to keep going.