Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju met the Under-15 Girls Football Team of Nagaland in New Delhi on Thursday morning and gave them a warm send-off as the young team traveled to Sweden to participate in the Gothia Cup, the world’s largest youth football tournament. This year, 80 nations are participating in the international tournament, and the team from Nagaland is representing India. The team was accompanied by the chief minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio.
The footballers met the sports minister at his residence. Wishing them the best for the tournament, Rijiju said, “It is a matter of great pride for the nation that these young girls have qualified for the tournament. I met their coach and spoke to him about training methods and his expectation from the team, and I am confident that they will do well.”
Speaking about the participation of the team, chief minister Neiphiu Rio said, “Football in Nagaland has always had tremendous potential and now we have the opportunity to widen the platform for excellence, at the international level. This participation is an achievement towards expressing gender equality through football.”