Main focus is on tapping local talent, says Baan

Baan, who was appointed the technical director of the All India Football Federation, said encouraging young footballers will be vital to improving the quality of Indian football, adding that he was targeting 30-35 youngsters for each of the four FIFA Academies. The other three academies are coming up in Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi.

“The first aim is to tap local talent from each of these academy centres. But kids from footballing areas like Mizoram will also be given a chance to be a part of the system,” the Dutchman, who was accompanied by AIFF National Academies Manager Scott O’Donell and Academies and Development Manager Pushpargha Chattopadhyay, said.

Baan also emphasised the importance of improving the standards of the under-19 teams of I-League clubs. “Each I-League team is supposed to have a full-fledged under-19 squad, but for a lot of the teams, it just remains so on paper.”