What’s the story?
India is set to host their first ever FIFA competition, the under-17 World Cup, in just about three months. However, the tournament has already taken a hit with Brazil being unsure about the participation of one of their most talented stars, Vinicius Junior, who is dubbed as the ‘next Neymar’.
Speaking to Firstpost, Carlos Amadeu, the Brazil U-17 coach, expressed his doubts regarding Junior’s participation.
"The situation with Vinicius is unclear at the moment. We should wait for the release from his club. We have to wait and watch whether he is coming with the Brazilian team or not," Amadeu said.
In case you didn’t know…
Just a few weeks back, Vinicius Junior made the headlines after La Liga giants Real Madrid splurged a massive £39.6 million to sign the 16-year-old from Flamengo. The deal made him the second most expensive signing, after Neymar, from the Brazilian league in history. Incidentally, the teen hasn’t really done anything yet apart from making one appearance in the league. However, the fact that even Barcelona were interested in signing the player suggests that he is a special talent.
The heart of the matter
On being asked if it was Real Madrid who were stopping Junior from taking part, Brazil’s coach, Amadeu outright denied it. He said that being a Flamengo player still, it is the Brazilian club who will take the decision and not Madrid.
He also added that if deemed necessary, the national team could demand the release of any player for national duty. However, he declined to confirm whether or not they had approached Flamengo.
"We can (demand the player to be released) but we should wait for the confirmation from the club because it's a period where the pro-team tournament is going to take place at the same time, so it should be agreed with the club. It's not an easy process," he said.
What’s next?
Brazil have been drawn in Group D alongside North Korea, Span and Niger. They begin their campaign against Spain at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on 7th October, 2017.
Author’s take
It is indeed a huge loss for the tournament and the fans in India. The prospect of watching the latest Real Madrid starlet, who could possibly be the next Neymar, would have been almost irresistible.
