Praful Patel, the President of the AIFF laid bare his heart at the AIFF annual awards held at the Trident Hotel in Mumbai tonight stating that both the Federation as well as the players share a common goal of making it to the top 50 in the FIFA rankings in the days to come.4
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Patel said, “Yes, we have cracked the top 100 but has anything radically changed? The answer for some could be yes while for other could be no. But I think it at all India has to really move forward, we have to break into the Top 50. Because that is where on any given day any of the teams are capable of beating each other.
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Mr. Patel's didn't stop with his dreams there as he feels that it is the right time to give our all and he hopes to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
“And apart from that our biggest target has to be qualifying for the World Cup in 2022. And that is something that could be termed ‘fantastic’,” quipped the 60-year-old.
Patel also asserted the importance of the upcoming FIFA U17 World Cup that the country is set to host in October later this year.
“The upcoming world cup this year is of paramount importance for us. Not only is it that the eyes of the footballing world will be upon us. But these youngsters who are going to play in the World Cup will form the backbone of the country in the coming years.”
The President also iterated that it is also the time that the country should look to put more of an effort to progress in the women's game as well.
Jeje Lalpekhlua bags Player of the Year award
Meanwhile, in the annual awards, Mohun Bagan forward Jeje Lalpekhlua bagged the prestigious Player of The Year award for his performances in 2016. The Mizoramese forward scored five goals in seven games for India whilst also helping Mohun Bagan to the Federation Cup win in 2016 as well.
Many might say the Federation Cup saw the best of Jeje as the forward finished with eight goals, the highest tally ever for a single player for any single edition of the tournament. He finished with four goals in the I-League as well as Mohun Bagan narrowly missed out on the title.
The other big winners on the night were Jerry Lalrinzuala and Rowllin Borges who bagged the 2016/17 Emerging Player of the Hero I-League and 2016 AIFF Emerging Player of the Year awards.
