Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Vijay Goel along with Carles Puyol handed over the first ticket of the FIFA U-17 World Cup on Monday evening. Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Vijay Goel told the indianexpress.com that India's decision to host the U-17 World Cup can revolutionise football in India and go a long way to develop the game on grassroots levels across the country. "India needs this U-17 world cup to be a success as it can go a long way to revolutionise the way football is played in our country. PM Modi is taking a personal interest and spoke about it on his radio show 'Mann Ki Baat'. Through this World Cup, we are going to touch 15000 schools and will reach out to 11 million students and youth across the country. So a lot of positives can be expected from this " READ: Barcelona great Carles Puyol launches FIFA U-17 World Cup tickets Reiterating his desire of football overtaking the cricket craze in this country, the Union Minister said that the addition of celebrity power to the tournament is the push that this event needs to be a success on the global platform. When asked if Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo's possible visit to India could be possible the Union Minister said,"Of course I think the global superstars of football will come to India and we would love to have them to come here. India will get a huge push in football with such visits." However, the minister also added that the bigger thrust is coming from the interior parts of India from where talent is being unearthed. "We are taking the game to the interior parts of our country. Most of the talent is coming out from the tribal area and villages. So they too are getting an important push." When asked where India is still lacking in the development of football, Vijay Goel refused to comment on one particular game and said,"As far as I think there is a drawback in some game or the other and not just in one. So I think we have to work hard collectively and in fact work harder than other countries." At the event former Barcelona central defender, Carles Puyol participated in a friendly match with sports minister Vijay Goel. Meanwhile, commenting on the possible I-League and ISL merger the Minister said,"I am yet to sit down with the concerned parties. But I definitely want justice to be done with everyone. So I will sit with all the stakeholders and definitely come out with some good news."
