TFA cold shoulder to home players

Jamshedpur, April 19: Tata Football Academy (TFA) has yet again given a cold shoulder to home aspirants.

Not a single budding footballer from Jharkhand has been able to make it to the freshers’ list, released by the TFA after a recent selection trial.

Seven boys — Hardeep Singh (Punjab), Ishan Debnath and Pronoy Halder (both from Bengal), P. Deepak (Bangalore), Sorem Poirei Angamba (Manipur), Lalhimpuia (Mizoram) and Mukesh Kumar Nathani (New Delhi) — are the new faces to be recruited in the TFA.

The freshers will be formally inducted into the academy after mandatory medical tests, officials said. The selection trial was conducted at the TFA ground between April 7 and 9. Former footballers, who donned Bihar colours with elan, have been crying themselves hoarse over TFA’s alleged disinterest in home players. Some of the footballers had earlier even approached the academy authorities with a request to pay attention to local players.

“Situation has not changed even now. Outstation players continue to get inducted as cadets into the TFA, robbing opportunities from home talents. The standard of soccer in Jharkhand cannot improve, if the local boys are overlooked by the academy,” a former Bihar defender complained.

For the record, there are three boys — Sushil Kisku, Lakhan Hembrom and Subhash Hansda — among the 41-odd cadets of the academy. While TFA has 24 junior boys, including freshers, there are 17 boys from the senior category. “I am not saying that aspirants from outside should not be inducted, but more opportunity should be given to local boys,” added the Bihar defendant.