With the entire world having eyes fixed on Qatar, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also joined the football buzz. He made a few references to the game during his address in Tripura on Sunday. However, it was the prime minister’s one assurance which caught the eyes of fans and came as music to their ears.
While addressing the crowd, the PM referred to the final in Qatar and said that he could say with “assurance” that India would organise an event like FIFA World Cup and Indians will cheer for their team.
“Today the teams playing in the Qatar final is between foreign countries,” PM Modi said.
“But, I can say with assurance that we will be organizing an event like FIFA world cup in India and will cheer for the tricolor,” he added.
The comments on India’s hopes and a possible future bid for the FIFA World Cup were greeted with cheer by football fans online.
Earlier during an address, the PM also used another footballing analogy, saying that the ruling government had booted out hurdles like corruption, nepotism, and discrimination by giving them red cards.
“It is a coincidence that today when the final of the Football World Cup is taking place, I am in the midst of football lovers on the football ground itself. On the other side, a football competition is going on and subsequently on this side, we are competing for development on the football field,” the PM was quoted as saying.
“In football, if someone’s behaviour is against the spirit of the game, then he is shown a red card and thrown out. Similarly, in the last eight years, we have eradicated many hurdles-- corruption, nepotism, discrimination-- related to the North East,” PM Modi said at the golden jubilee celebrations of the North Eastern Council in Shillong.
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