Kolkata: English football legend Sol Campbell backs India’s intent to become an improved football playing nation in a press conference during the final at the FIFA U17 World Cup here at Kolkata. He also praised the quality of the facilities and the newly renovated stadiums in India.
On the development of Indian football the Arsenal legend said, “You need to start somewhere. Now you are successfully organised a World Cup. I heard that you are going to start a ‘centre of excellence’. So yes, Indian football is on the right path.” He added, “There might be nations who are at least 50 or 100 years ahead of India. But it’s always good to see the positive intent.”
The English defender heaped praise for the U17 England side and said, “It’s a good bunch of boys and it shows that the DNA centre at St George’s Park is doing really well. No doubt the youth teams of England are doing really well, of late some really promising footballers have come up, but it’s to see how they deliver on the senior level. That’s important.”
Campbell also revealed the keys to success in modern day football, as he said, “You might do a lot of training. But competition experience is the key. The more you play, the more you improve as a team. There is no better way to improve than playing games. You might win a few, you might lose a few. But the experience is priceless.”