The Sports Authority of Goa has confirmed that teenage footballer Shameek Vas has been given a grant of 30 lakh. He has received the sponsorship under the scheme for ‘Achieving Excellence in Sports at International Level’.
He joined the Marcet football academy in September and will train there until June 2022. The youngster will be staying in Barcelona, where the academy is located while training till the summer.
Who is Shameek Vas?
The 17-year-old was born in Porvorim, India. He was a part of the Dempo Sports Club academy and was coached by Remus Gomes. Due to his impressive performances, he was scouted and called up to the U-16 India team by Bibiano Fernandes.
Shameek Vas has already played at the international level, representing the country at the AFC U16 Championship and SAFF U15 Championship since 2017. The defender has played in Thailand, Uzbekistan, Turkey and the UAE.
This is the first time that a footballer has been given the grant. Goa recognised football as a state sport since 2012, and it took almost a decade for a footballer to receive the grant. The SAG had given the grant to sailor Dayne Coelho and badminton player Anura Prabhudessai earlier.
The Dempo academy graduate has been impressive until this stage and could go on to be a part of the Indian first team in the upcoming years as well.
