The players, coaching staff and management of Bengaluru FC teamed up with fans to do their bit in support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘My Clean India’ campaign, in Bengaluru, on Monday.

Led by head coach Ashley Westwood and skipper Sunil Chhetri, the team took to the street along the Bangalore Football Stadium with brushes and brooms to promote a cleaner India. The program was also part of a series of community events conducted by the club as part of their ‘BFC in the Community’ campaign.

Having divided the area adjacent to the stadium into four different zones, players grouped together and painted the walls and cleaned the pavements with the help of fans, in association with the Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation. The club provided the participating fans with masks, gloves and brooms as the players joined in with them. Many onlookers also joined the campaign, which was launched by the Prime Minister at the national capital on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The club also installed dustbins along the street.

“It was about time we realised how conscious we need to be to our surroundings. Our quest for cleanliness shouldn’t be restricted to confines of the four walls of our homes.

It is our job to take this initiative forward and I nominate every citizen of this country to do their bit towards a cleaner India,” said skipper Chhetri.

Defender John Johnson, armed with a broom for a better part of the morning, echoed similar sentiments. “It’s always nice to be able to give back to the community and doing what we should rather than being disappointed with how things look around us.”

With the help of talented graffiti artist Tatu, the club beautified one part of the wall with the club colours and logo. The walls of the Government school and football ground also got a fresh coat of paint.

“It is an initiative that the JSW Group believes very strongly in. We want to thank the PM for promoting such a simple yet much needed cause. We take pride in keeping our stadium and streets clean and are happy to be part of this initiative,” said COO Mustafa Ghouse.