Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri said that he missed out on access to infrastructure and better sports facilities while growing up.
Chhetri, during his recent visit to a football academy here, said, "I wish I had access to infrastructure and facilities like this while growing up. With the right guidance, I am sure the kids here can go a long way not only within Rajasthan but at the national level as well."
The star footballer further said he is happy to see the facilities that the young footballers are getting. He added with right guidance the kids can go long way both at state and national level.
"I have seen a football academy for the first time in Rajasthan and I am really very happy to see the state-of-the-art infrastructure here. Initiatives like Zinc Football, with the kind of world-class infrastructure that is there, will help uplift the cause of Indian football in the coming years," he said.
Zinc Football Academy is an initiative by Hindustan Zinc, a public-private partnership between the Government of India and Vedanta Limited.
Chhetri interacted and shared his knowledge with young footballers. He even played the game with the next generation.
Team India dropped two places to settle at 103 in the FIFA rankings updated on July 25.
The team had 1219 points but now the team sits with 1214 points as it lost two matches against Tajikistan 2-4 and DPR Korea 2-5, respectively. Blue Tigers then played a stale-mate 1-1 against Syria in the recently-concluded Intercontinental Cup held in Ahmedabad.
( With inputs from ANI )