Bhubaneswar: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has joined hands with Odisha for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2026 and Vision 2023 Under-17 World Cup to form a club named Indian Arrows. Under-17 players who had represented the FIFA 2018 U-17 World Cup have been picked up but irony is that not a single player from Odisha has found place in the club, which is sponsored by the Odisha government.
Though the state government has made all arrangements for the accommodation of the Indian Arrows Club members in Bhubaneswar and allotted Kalinga Stadium as the venue for the I-League tournament, not a single player from the state has been picked as a member of the club.
Odisha has promising players like Vickey Oram and Sameer Kerketta who had displayed excellent skills in the Junior National Football Championship but the AIFF has not considered their name.
Expressing resentment over the issue, football fans of Odisha have urged the state government to make efforts for inclusion of more players of the state in the Indian Arrows Club.
