From hooch den to football haven: MP's ‘Mini Brazil’ scores big; village kids eye Bundesliga dream

BHOPAL: Bicharpur, a village in MP that wears the epithet "Mini Brazil" for producing dozens of footballers over the years, scored a decisive goal on Sunday when PM Narendra Modi announced in his Mann Ki Baat broadcast that German coach Dietmar Beiersdorfer had offered to train select boys and girls from the hamlet in an academy in Germany.Beiersdorfer's interest in Bicharpur was stoked by PM Modi referring to its unique footballing culture during his lengthy chat with American podcaster Lex Fridman six months ago. The coaching idea gained momentum after the MP govt contacted the German, who used to play as a defender for Bundesliga clubs Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen before becoming a sporting director and manager. For Bicharpur, notorious in the 60s as a hooch den, the turnaround came under a footballer-turned-coach who inspired young people of the village to take up the game so that they would stay away from the liquor business.Bicharpur will now send four players, two of them girls, and their coach to Germany for a training stint at Beiersdorfer's club FC Ingolstadt 04 from Oct 4 to 12."I am happy to see that the popularity of football is increasing in India. I urge football lovers to visit Bicharpur whenever they get time and closely witness the sporting revolution happening there," Modi said of the MP village.Modi hails MP athletes for 'Khelo India' success The PM first spoke of "Mini Brazil" in his July 2023 Mann Ki Baat, soon after visiting Shahdol.

Bicharpur is home to about 1,000 footballers from the Baiga and Gond communities. Nearly every household in the village boasts a player or a coach. Some of these players have already progressed to the national level, with Roshni Singh, Sanya Kunde, Suhani Kol and Sapna Gupta among the more famous names.MP sports minister Vishwas Sarang said the state govt would do everything possible to ensure that the players selected to train in Germany have a beneficial, hitch-free trip.While coach Suresh Kunde is credited with initiating the village's young into the joy of playing the beautiful game, recognition came in 2002 when NIS coach Raees Ahmed took over. Ahmed, who is from a neighbouring village, began identifying talent early to hone their technique. Shahdol's then collector, Raghvendra Singh, gave Bicharpur the now-famous "Mini Brazil" tag in 2003. Modi also lauded the performance of MP athletes in the Khelo India Water Sports. He congratulated the state for securing the highest number of medals and winning the overall championship trophy. MP dominated the evenr, topping the medal tally with 18 medals, including 10 golds.