EM IMPACT: Manipur footballer Lemmet finally gets his passport

Guwahati: In big relief for Lemmet Tangvah and his family, the promising Manipuri striker has finally been handed his passport, thereby clearing the hurdle to his exposure trip to Spain as part of the Indian Under-17 team’s preparations for the AFC Qualifiers.

The development comes after EastMojo reported on March 22 how the youngster’s chances of boarding a flight to the European nation depended on the passport office.

A product of the famous Chandigarh Football Academy (CFA), led by seasoned coach Ankur Khanna, the young forward from Nungbi Khullen village of Ukhrul district in Manipur had applied for his passport on February 7.

A CFA coach and one of the managers of the junior national team had earlier informed EastMojo about Lemmet’s fate hanging in the passport office. On March 21, the passport office in Guwahati informed that Lemmet’s travel document was in the printing process. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) had also written to the passport office to expedite the process and treat his case as a special one, considering he was going to represent the country.

16-year-old Lemmet is currently attending the U-17 national camp at the AIFF training centre in Fatorda, Goa.

Team EastMojo kept in touch with the passport office in Guwahati and the footballer’s family in Imphal, where his brother Worchi had made several trips to the regional office in the Manipur capital.

On March 23, the passport office had completed the printing process and shared a draft of the crucial document, which was shared with the junior national team for processing of visa and other formalities.

On Tuesday, Worchi informed EastMojo that a physical copy of the passport was finally delivered to their residence, and the same had been sent to the Spanish embassy in New Delhi for processing the visa.

“Sir, we got the passport. Thank you for your help,” a text message from Worchi read.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without your constant support. We are glad that our brother can now fulfil his dreams of representing the country. We have sent the passport to the Spanish embassy in New Delhi for visa formalities,” Worchi further said.

In a video shared with EastMojo, Worchi said: “On behalf of my family, I want to thank EastMojo for helping my brother to get his passport on time. Thank you for your support, thank you for your love and thank you for your help. May God bless you and your team.”

On contacting the Indian team manager, he informed that the players are awaiting for visa before their scheduled departure on March 31.

Lemmet, an attacking forward, was recently adjudged ‘best player’ at the 61st Subroto Cup under-17 boys football tournament after his team – Government Model Higher Secondary School, Chandigarh finished runner-up with a narrow 0-1 defeat to Pilgrim Higher Secondary School, Dimapur, in the summit clash held at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi. His coach Ankur Khanna was declared the ‘best coach’ of the tournament.

Accordingly, Lemmet was invited for the selection trials of the Under-17 national team in Goa and was asked to get his passport ready before the exposure trip to Spain.

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