Agartala: A talented footballer from Tripura has been called for the trials of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) conducted under-17 elite youth league, which will be held later this year. 16-year-old John Jamatia hails from Killa, a nondescript settlement in Tripura’s Gomati district. He has been undergoing extensive training for the sport at Tripura Sports School located in Badarghat, on the outskirts of Agartala city.
“His football skills are exceptional. For the last six years, he has been undergoing rigorous training at Tripura Sports School, and so far, he has been a sincere learner of the game,” said Subhenjit Sinha, a physical instructor cum football coach under Tripura Sports and Youth Affairs department.
Sinha looks after the training of budding footballers in the sports school. He said, “Earlier, John had represented Tripura in the junior national football tournament held at Andaman Nicobar Island. He took admission in the sports school in standard IV, and he is now a class X student.”
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When asked about his selection, he said, when state teams reached for the SM Cup football tournament last year, they were asked to sign a consent form for the elite youth league. Accordingly, the players who were interested filled out the consent forms. This is how John made it to the tournament. He would probably represent the team sponsored by the Indian Air Force.
“He was supposed to leave for Kolkata to join the trials on January 22, but the trials had been postponed due to the inauguration of Ram Mandir. Soon, the new dates for the trials will be communicated. We hope he will certainly secure a place in the playing squad, as he has been playing exceptionally well in the last few seasons,” Sinha added.
Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik, and Rajya Sabha MP Biplab Kumar Deb had congratulated John through social media posts for achieving such a feat.
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