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What’s the story?
Kishore Taid, the Head of Operations and Strategy of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), has confirmed that the jerseys of the Indian football team will be available for the fans a month before the FIFA U-17 World Cup kicks off. The World Cup starts on 6th October and going by Taid's words, the blue kit could be available for purchase after the first week of September.
In case you didn’t know…
It has been years since the jersey of the Indian national football team was last available in stores. While some claim it was back in 2012 that they last saw a jersey in the stores, others claim that they had bought jerseys in 2013.
Although the jerseys are available in local markets (unofficial merchandise) and online stores (old stock), the fans have a difficult time in getting their hands to it. In the online stores, most of the time, the jerseys are shown as sold out.
The heart of the matter
Taid, who is an entrepreneur turned football administrator, further revealed that the process has already started. A fan had inquired to him on Twitter about the availability of the jerseys.
Taid replied with the following tweet:
It must be noted that there has been a high demand for the national team jerseys among the fans ahead of the World Cup. Many have written to Nike and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and have signed petitions. However, it now seems that the cries have been heard by those who matter.
Previously, Taid had responded to this increased demand by tweeting that they are working on it. Now, he has confirmed that the jerseys will be available for everyone for the first time in more than three years.
What’s next?
The FIFA U-17 World Cup kicks off on 6th October 2017. The tournament will be played across six venues including Navi Mumbai, New Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Kochi and Kolkata. India have been pooled in Group A alongside USA, Colombia and Ghana.
India play their first match against the USA on 6th October at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi.
Author’s take
This comes as an exciting news for the fans of the Indian football team. Come October, they can Bleed Blue and get behind the young boys!
Hopefully, the stadiums will be filled with fans adorned in blue, cheering at the top of their voices for the Indian U-17 team.
