Dhorasoo's help sought to popularise football among Indo-Trinidadians
Port-of-Spain, July 7 (IANS) France's Indian origin footballer Vikash Dhorasoo's help is being sought to inspire Trinidadian youth of Indian extraction to take to the sport.
The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) of Trinidad and Tobago has sent an invitation to Dhorasoo, who is playing for France in the football World Cup finals in Germany, through a FIFA official, reports here said.
SDMS is a nonprofit charitable organization catering to the educational, cultural, social and religious needs of the population in general and Hindus in particular in this Caribbean nation.
The SDMS move comes after the rousing performance of the Trinidad and Tobago team in their World Cup finals debut in Germany this year. The team, dubbed the 'Soca Warriors', held much higher ranked Sweden to a goalless draw, and lost to England and Paraguay by identical 0-2 margins.
The team, which does not have any Indo-Trinidadian in its ranks, has become the toast of the nation after its performance.
Indo-Trinidadians comprise 40 percent of the country's population of around one million. They are descendants of Indians who had come to this Caribbean nation in the 19th and early 20th centuries to work as indentured labour in sugarcane plantations.
According to a report in the Trinidad and Tobago Express newspaper, FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has contacted Dhorasoo in connection with the SDMS invitation.
The report quoted SDMS secretary-general Sat Maharaj as saying that his organisation would introduce football in all its schools. SDMS runs 43 primary schools and two secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago.
Maharaj said that the recent performance of the Soca Warriors in Germany had impacted on the most conservative groups.
The report quoted him as saying that SDMS decided to invite Dhorasoo because Indo-Trinidadian parents, especially mothers, dissuade their sons from taking part in contact sports like football.
"Young Indian boys are more inclined to play cricket, table tennis, badminton and even lawn tennis where the facilities are available to display individual skills," he told the newspaper.
Though Indo-Trinidadian cricketers like Sonny Ramadhin have shone on the world stage, footballers are hard to come by.
Dhorasoo, who was born to Indian parents in Mauritius, grew up at Le Havre in Normandy, France. He played for Le Havre, Lyon, Bordeaux, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain in various tournaments in France.
He won the French League title with Olympique Lyonnais twice - in 2002 and 2004.
In the 2003-04 season, Dhorasoo was named Best Player of Ligue 1 in France. He then shifted to AC Milan, from where he took a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.
He made history on June 13 when he took the field for France against Switzerland in a Group G match, becoming the first player of Indian descent to play in the World Cup finals.
Now, the SDMS, through its invitation, has decided to cash in on Dhorasoo's newfound popularity among Indians across the world.
Courtesy: TeluguPortal
The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) of Trinidad and Tobago has sent an invitation to Dhorasoo, who is playing for France in the football World Cup finals in Germany, through a FIFA official, reports here said.
SDMS is a nonprofit charitable organization catering to the educational, cultural, social and religious needs of the population in general and Hindus in particular in this Caribbean nation.
The SDMS move comes after the rousing performance of the Trinidad and Tobago team in their World Cup finals debut in Germany this year. The team, dubbed the 'Soca Warriors', held much higher ranked Sweden to a goalless draw, and lost to England and Paraguay by identical 0-2 margins.
The team, which does not have any Indo-Trinidadian in its ranks, has become the toast of the nation after its performance.
Indo-Trinidadians comprise 40 percent of the country's population of around one million. They are descendants of Indians who had come to this Caribbean nation in the 19th and early 20th centuries to work as indentured labour in sugarcane plantations.
According to a report in the Trinidad and Tobago Express newspaper, FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has contacted Dhorasoo in connection with the SDMS invitation.
The report quoted SDMS secretary-general Sat Maharaj as saying that his organisation would introduce football in all its schools. SDMS runs 43 primary schools and two secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago.
Maharaj said that the recent performance of the Soca Warriors in Germany had impacted on the most conservative groups.
The report quoted him as saying that SDMS decided to invite Dhorasoo because Indo-Trinidadian parents, especially mothers, dissuade their sons from taking part in contact sports like football.
"Young Indian boys are more inclined to play cricket, table tennis, badminton and even lawn tennis where the facilities are available to display individual skills," he told the newspaper.
Though Indo-Trinidadian cricketers like Sonny Ramadhin have shone on the world stage, footballers are hard to come by.
Dhorasoo, who was born to Indian parents in Mauritius, grew up at Le Havre in Normandy, France. He played for Le Havre, Lyon, Bordeaux, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain in various tournaments in France.
He won the French League title with Olympique Lyonnais twice - in 2002 and 2004.
In the 2003-04 season, Dhorasoo was named Best Player of Ligue 1 in France. He then shifted to AC Milan, from where he took a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.
He made history on June 13 when he took the field for France against Switzerland in a Group G match, becoming the first player of Indian descent to play in the World Cup finals.
Now, the SDMS, through its invitation, has decided to cash in on Dhorasoo's newfound popularity among Indians across the world.
Courtesy: TeluguPortal
posted by v_tel001 @ 11:07 PM
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