Shillong, Oct 3: Lok Sabha MP from Tura, Conrad K. Sangma today extended his best wishes to the squad of the national football team for the Under-17 FIFA World Cup, 2017 which will kick off on October 6.

India, the host country for the Under-17 FIFA World Cup will take on United States of America (USA) on the kick off day of the tournament at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi at 5 pm.

“I am happy to interact with young players of the Indian squad and many of them are from the Northeastern region, particularly Manipur. It is a great sign that players from the region are coming out to demonstrate their talent in the field of football. I extend my best wishes and support to the Indian squad”, Conrad said who interacted with the players at a felicitation programme held at New Delhi today.

In the 21 members squad of the Indian team, eight players are from the North East, it is great sign that football talents from the region are getting the right platform and noticed, the MP asserted.

Terming North East as a “powerhouse” for sport and particular football, Conrad said, “The players of the region needs right platform and exposure to excel and showcase their talent. The success story of football from the region speaks volume of the immense sporting talents the region has to offer”.

He thanked the central and state leadership of different states of Northeastern region for their effort to promote football in the region. “There is a need to create better infrastructure in states like Meghalaya and Nagaland, wherein a lot of talents are there but due to lack of exposure and coaching they are not being able to come up”.

He lauded the effort of state government and organisations working to promote football in North East, particular Assam and Manipur, where the respective state governments along with different stakeholders have been able to put up the best of infrastructure for football in the country.

“Guwahati has emerged as the sport capital of North East India. It is a very positive sign that the government is extending its support to create adequate infrastructural support for the promotion of the game”, he added, while urging the respective state government of the North East to facilitate right coaching and training for development of sports infrastructure in the region.

“There is a paradigm shift as far as sports talents, particular football is concerned. I am happy that the focus for football has been around North East and particularly Manipur. Huge latent talents pool is available in the state of Meghalaya and Mizoram, where sports clubs have excelled in I-league. It calls for support from all stakeholders, so that India can get its best football talents from the region”, he added.