For the tribal girls of Yuwa India, football brought emancipation. However, the trappings of bureaucracy back home may take some shine off their triumph at the Gasteiz Cup, an under-14 tournament in Spain.
Helped by the NGO, they won a bronze on July 13 and proved everybody wrong, leading Chief Minister Hemant Soren to make certain adjustments for them on Friday. Nevertheless, unfazed sports authorities brushed the matter aside and termed the international tournament unofficial and insignificant. Also, the people’s representative — responsible for the reported ill-treatment meted out to Yuwa India members — remained out of reach.
Anticipating uncomfortable explanations, Karma panchayat mukhia Sabita Devi switched off her mobile phone and could not be contacted despite our best efforts. The girls were reportedly humiliated, slapped and forced to sweep floors at the panchayat office, when they went there seeking birth certificates in the process of obtaining passports for Spain.
When asked about fate of the budding footballers from the small, tribal-dominated village of Hutup, on the outskirts of Ranchi, Jharkhand Football Association Secretary Ghulam Rabbani was disdainful. “We know that the NGO (Yuwa India) is working for footballers, but there are many others. They are not recognised by us and the team is not of Jharkhand State. They were playing in Spain unofficially and that too, in an unregistered tournament. How did the team go there without informing the association or All India Football Federation (AIFF)IJ” he countered.
Rabbani, however, had no answers to what the association had done to mitigate hardships the poor girls face and provide them with better coaching. He failed to come up with an explanation on why no help was given when the NGO approached them and other authorities.
The Pioneer had, in 2010, reported about the initiative taken by a US national, Franz Gastler, who coached and encouraged tribal girls to get them out of the rut and into the mainstream. Without any professional training, he instinctively identified talent, with his dedication bringing laurels for Jharkhand.
Meanwhile, on a more positive note, the Chief Minister announced monetary help for the winning team and promised sports infrastructure. The media has been highlighting how people associated with Yuwa India had to run from pillar to post, seeking help of any kind, which was denied.
Yuwa India president Col Surjeet S Rath said, “There was no facility available at the village. We knocked on every possible door but could manage only some foreign assistance and sponsors.” “This could have been a model to be replicated for empowering youths and preventing them from going for guns and save them from trafficking. Franz contacted all officials but the response was nil. The State Football Association should fight for the young girls and not worry about their ego,” he pointed out.
It was untiring Franz’s effort alone that got 25 girls selected for training at the prestigious Tata Football Academy. later, 13 of them were selected for the under-13 State team. The icing on the cake came when Pushpa got selected to represent India. Today, there are over 200 girls and 55 boys from 10 villages who are associated with the cause.