The students were overjoyed to finally meet the player. Vikash is on his first visit to south India, visiting Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Goa, and Visakhapatnam with Alliance Francaise Hyderabad (AFH). The former French footballer of Indo-Mauritian descent has visited India seven times but has never visited South India, the land of his forefathers.
His ancestors, who were born in Vizianagaram, came to Mauritius in 1890 to work in the sugar cane fields. His father moved to France in 1970. They intermarried within the Telugu community for eight generations, says Vikash, a 15-year professional footballer who won the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
We planned the trip to allow him to visit the Andhra region, as well as a programme for him to see the current football situation in India and what can be done to improve it, says Samuel Berthet, director of AFH.
On the sidelines of the event, Vikash expresses gratitude for the opportunity to be in Hyderabad, but emphasises that his goal is to inspire the young and demonstrate that someone of Indian origin can become a professional footballer and make it to the top.
While attempting to instill confidence, Vikash emphasises that he is not here to sell dreams because only a very few can make it to the professional level. I believe it is still important to continue playing the game because it not only provides a goal in life but also strengthens the will to pursue dreams and live a disciplined life.
Vikash recalls visiting New Delhi in 2009 with East Bengal midfielder Renedy Singh for a talent scouting initiative called the Consortium for Street Children. The desire to discover talent at the grassroots level persists as he plays and interacts with disadvantaged children in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
Football, he believes, has the emancipatory power to spread the message of equality. Vikash, who is also a film actor and producer (Le Tres Tres Grand Enterprise), founded the Tatane movement (Tatane means shoe in French) in 2011 to help soccer bring joy and create bonds among people in underprivileged communities.
He is currently employed as a football consultant for the French sports channel L’Equipe. I am vocal in defending football players, but I also speak out against all forms of discrimination, racism, and homophobia, says Vikash, who ran for mayor of Paris in 2020.
The graphic novel, J’Perds Pas La Boule in French, is dedicated to his life, his sporting career, and his family’s Telugu heritage. He hopes that India will have a great football team, that Indians will compete in the best championships, and that the World Cup will be held in India.
