Kolkata:
Six junior footballers of Siliguri Football Academy in West Bengal have been invited by the famous German football club Bayern Munich FC to train with them.
The footballers had been selected when a Bayern Munich team, including sensational Thomas Mueller, visited Siliguri in north Bengal to play an exhibition match last year.
The young footballers would visit Germany from August 14 to 23 to take part in a training programme, state urban development minister Ashok Bhattacharyay told a press conference here on Wednesday.
The footballers selected are: Nishant Toppo, Sanjib Kerketta, Dipu Burman, Liton Sil, Amit Thakuri and Avishek Chetri.
"Bayern Munich will bear the cost of their stay in Germany and all other expenses other than the passage money. We have arranged for sponsors and they will bear the rest of the cost," the minister said.
When Mueller visited Siliguri last year, he was yet to sign up as a professional footballer.
Mueller had a sensational outing in the just-concluded FIFA World Cup in South Africa, scoring four goals and three assists in five matches for Germany and missed the Golden Boot by a whisker.
The minister also informed that the sports department was sending a letter with the team, requesting Mueller to come to West Bengal.
"We promise a mass reception for him," he said.