Lack of facilities: UP footballers getting raw deal
LUCKNOW: The FIFA World Cup that concluded in Russia on Sunday won accolades from all quarters as the best organised event in the world but even after 44 years things haven’t changed much for football at the UP Sports Directorate.
In the ongoing State Under-16 Sub-Junior Boys Football Cham- pionship in Bareilly, all 288 play- ers from 18 different districts are made to sleep on the floor even when it is raining, alleged a team coach who did not wish to be named.
The players are served low quality food even though the government has the provision of Rs 250 expenditure on the food of every player, he added.
The sports directorate officials, however, refuted the allegations. Uttar Pradesh Sports Directorate and UP Football Sangh are jointly conducting the event under the government’s ‘Samanvay’ scheme.
Such a situation has come to light at a time when sports and youth welfare minister Chetan Chauhan has been repeatedly claiming himself to be the biggest sympathiser for sportspersons as he was also a cricketer.
“Being a former international player, I can understand the problems of the sportspersons very well,” he says repeatedly in his statements.
The team coach, however, said: “Ever since we have arrived here, things are in a bad shape. Two teams (32 players) are put up in one room and have given bed sheets only to sleep on the floor. Coaches and managers are given beds but there is no arrangement of mosquito repellents etc.”
He said a day before the event teams were not given breakfast and given ‘khichdi’ in lunch. “The amount of Rs 250 is good enough to take care of food requirements of a player but here we are getting low quality food. We are being served ‘tandoori roti’ continuously and there is no change in the menu,” he added.
“For the same amount, we get quality food at the hostel and it mixes with non-vegetarian food for at least five days in a week. But here things are different. Bathrooms are dirty and shared by a big number of people which leaves drains choked,” he said.
However, a former player said expecting such a treatment to players of 21st century was horrible. “Is this the state of affairs of sports in Uttar Pradesh? We are hoping that we are able to produce medallists at Olympics but when and who will change things?”
The pictures made available to the Hindustan Times on Thursday corroborate the fact but Bareilly’s sports officer, Laxmi Shanker Singh denied the allegations.
“So far, we haven’t received any complaint about shortcomings. If they aren’t satisfied, they can take Rs 250 cash per day and manage their own food,” said Singh.
“I made this offer to every team last evening at a meeting, and I accept that over-crowding at the food table is common as you can’t control over 300 people at a time,” he said.
“Besides hostel, we have made arrangements for the players at a lodge and a school and spending Rs 30 per day on the stay of a player,” he added.
“What kind of arrangements do you expect at Rs 30 per day per individual? Think what we do when we manage arrangements for them during winters in such a meagre amount. I believe that state sports associations should extend their support in managing such events,” Singh said.