Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): CEO of German football club FC Ingolstadt 04, Dietmar Beiersdorfer travelled to Madhya Pradesh’s Mini Brazil - Vicharpur village in Shahdol district - to meet and interact with the five young footballers he trained in Germany in October this year. During his stopover in Bhopal, Beiersdorfer talked to Free Press about Vicharpur players, their potential and his future plans about them. Excerpts:
How did you come to know about Mini Brazil?
I heard the Lex Friedman podcast with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he talked about a small village near Shahdol known as Mini Brazil.
Why did you decide to invite them to train in Germany?
There are two reasons. Firstly, with young Indians developing more interest in football, we wanted to build a sporting bridge between India and Germany. Secondly, we wanted to honour Vicharpur kids for their extraordinary efforts.
What did you feel about the potential of these players after meeting them in Germany?
Obviously, the players, boys and girls, need to play on a higher level and intensity their play in their age groups. But everybody did great.
Why did you decide to travel to India to meet them?
Because a bond had developed between us during the days they spent at our club in Ingolstadt. I wanted to maintain that bond. I promised to visit them in Vicharpur. I was also invited by the government of MP. I met the chief minister Mohan Yadav, where we discussed Vicharpur players and possible steps to develop this sport in MP. The journey will definitely go on - in Vicharpur and in MP.
What was your impression after visiting Vicharpur and meeting players’ parents and villagers?
I was deeply impressed by the heartfulness, naturality and humbleness of everybody in the village as I already felt it of the players at their visit.
What kind of challenges do you see that the players are facing be it in terms of infrastructure, training, nutrition etc.
The most important thing is that they have fun, that they feel confident and that they learn from football – be strong, push through your play but also respect your team mates and your opponents.
Is the training infrastructure in Vicharpur and Bhopal good enough?
It is evident that in Vicharpur you cannot have the same conditions like in a professional club like ours. Yes, you can enhance the conditions by building better pitches. The conditions in Bhopal are far better and will get even better in the coming years. The most important thing is to have more coaches for the different age groups, giving them a curriculum to train them methodically and didactically.
Do you have any future plans with regard to the players?
I will follow them, stay in touch with them; and we will see them back in Germany or in India. Our bond will remain.
