Footballers from Madhya Pradesh’s ‘mini Brazil’ to visit Germany after top coach inspired by their story offers to train them

Bicharpur village, known as “mini Brazil” in Madhya Pradesh, is nestled among the Vindhyachal hills in the northeastern part of the state. For over 50 years, football has been like a religion in the village, where local tournaments are regularly held.

Former national-level football player Raees Ahmed, who coaches footballers in the village, told The Indian Express, “We will send four players and one coach to the training camp. Our girls’ team last year won the state-level Khelo India competition.”

Beiersdorfer, who offered to train the players, is a former German international and is currently the director of German club Hamburger SV. He has also served as sporting director of the Austrian team Red Bull Salzburg in the 2010-2011 period.

In the Mann ki Baat address, Modi said the podcast he had done with Lex Fridman was picked up by the German coach. “During the podcast… I also mentioned the players in Shahdol. It was heard by German football player and coach Dietmar Beiersdorfer. Learning about the life of the young footballers of Shahdol inspired him a lot. No one had even imagined that the talented players there would attract the attention of other countries,” the PM said. The Prime Minister had visited Shahdol and met budding footballers in July 2023.

He lauded the ‘Football Kranti’ programme, which is now underway in the region, which he said has produced “40 national- and state-level players” and led to the creation of “more than 1,200 football clubs” in Shahdol.

“Now, this German coach has offered to train some of these players from Shahdol in an academy in Germany. After this, the Madhya Pradesh government contacted him. Some of the young friends from Shahdol will very soon go to Germany for a training course,” Modi said.

Lot still to be done

Local coach Raees Ahmed said a centre of football has come up in Bicharpur, but that a lot still needs to be done.

“For now, a centre for football has come up and my former student has been appointed as a coach with a Rs 25,000 salary. We have 150 kids who train every day, but we don’t have a football field. We are waiting for the government to help set up a boundary wall and help begin constructing a ground. We were in Bhopal yesterday for an exhibition match and there was still no announcement from the Madhya Pradesh government for a football field,” Ahmed said.