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President of All India Football Federation (AIFF), Kalyan Chaubey, stated that many children across India are likely to be inspired to take up football after seeing Prime Minister Narendra Modi join a group of youngsters for a game in Sikkim's Gangtok.

PM Modi on Tuesday shared glimpses of himself playing football with youngsters in Gangtok, highlighting a lighter moment during his visit to the northeastern state. Taking to social media platform X, the Prime Minister posted a video capturing the interaction and wrote, "Nothing like playing some football with my young friends in Sikkim on a lovely Gangtok morning!"

The visuals showed the PM engaging with children on a football ground, interacting warmly and participating in the game.
Referring to the PM playing football with children in Sikkim, the AIFF President said this will likely further boost interest in football among children across India, as the sport is already widely popular.

Speaking to ANI, he said, "The way our PM played football with the kids in Sikkim, I think many other children in India will connect with the sport all the more now."

Chaubey said that the PM has significantly promoted sports through the Khelo India initiative, benefiting many athletes. He added that PM Modi's global respect and influence encourage large numbers of young people to engage in sports.

"PM Modi has promoted sports a lot through the Khelo India programmes. Players received a lot of benefits through these initiatives. PM Modi is not only a national leader, but his leadership is respected globally, and when he is associated with a sport, lakhs and crores of children also join him. Football is the most popular sport in the world. Many in India also follow it," he said.