"India needs to invest for future in football": Cafu praises grassroots initiative for girls

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 5 (ANI): Brazilian football legend and two-time FIFA World Cup winner Cafu on Saturday praised the role of grassroots football initiatives in promoting social inclusion and empowering young girls in India.
Cafu interacted with girls from the Dreaming in Slums Foundation, an NGO that uses football to teach life skills to underprivileged girls, as part of the Global Impact Forum II - Civilisational Legacy presented by APG Globale.
Speaking to reporters, Cafu said such initiatives provide children with opportunities, respect and training while helping build a better future.
"This is good for children, for social inclusion. It gives them respect, training, and this is better for the future. I feel very happy and impressed because the foundation is a very nice place and he's very happy to be in India again," Cafu said.
The former Brazil captain also stressed the need for greater investment in football development in India.
"India needs to invest for future in football. And next month they play against Brazil here in Kolkata. I am very impressed for the future," he added.
As part of the initiative, Cafu played a friendly football match with the young girls of the foundation and interacted with them during a special session focused on the role of sport in personal development.
The programme aimed to highlight how football can be used as a tool for empowerment, confidence-building and social inclusion among girls from disadvantaged communities.
The Blue Tigers will play three international friendlies against higher-ranked opposition, facing Panama on September 26 in Bengaluru before taking on five-time world champions Brazil on October 3 and two-time world champions Uruguay on October 6, both in Kolkata.
The three matches will provide India with valuable opportunities to test themselves against World Cup opposition, with all three nations having featured at the FIFA World Cup held earlier this year, as per a press release from the All India Football Federation (AIFF). (ANI)