India U-16s set for Serbian exposure tour, to play for 4-nation tournament
The team is preparing for AFC U-16 championship to be held later this year.
Less than a month after the Indian U-16 National Team played the U-16 National teams of United States of America and Norway in the Sportchain International Friendlies, All India Football Federation has arranged another exposure tour for the boys in May.
The U-16 colts will now travel to Serbia to play in a four-nation tournament wherein they will be competing against of Jordan, Tajikistan and hosts Serbia. The tour to Serbia comes after the boys had earlier played in Qatar, Hong Kong and in Spain.
All the exposure tours have been planned to help the team prepare in the best possible fashion for the forthcoming AFC U-16 Finals Malaysia 2018. This is India’s third qualification to the AFC U-16 Finals in the last four editions. India have been clubbed with current runners-up Islamic Republic of Iran, Vietnam and Indonesia in Group C in the Championship.
Significantly enough with both Jordan and Tajikistan having also qualified for the AFC U-16 Finals, Head Coach Bibiano Fernandes feels it’s a “marvellous opportunity before the real test.”
"This 4-nation tournament is an extremely helpful project for us before the real test in September. It will help us gauge ourselves where we stand against the likes of Jordan, Tajikistan and of course Serbia. It will help us assert the areas which we need to plug in,” he said.
Referring to his team’s matches against a strong USA and Norway, Bibiano stated the “boys have shown their mettle against them.”
"The USA and Norway are much-respected footballing nations across the world. But the boys played their hearts out. They look in good shape and are hungry to achieve more,” he added.
India suffered two narrow 0-1 defeats to the USA before going down 1-3 to Norway in the Sportchain Friendlies.
India’s fixtures in the U-16 four-nation tournament in Serbia is as follows:
AIFF eyes another U-17 WC participation, plans more preparatory tournaments
According to AIFF General Secretary, Kushal Das, the age-group tournament in Japan is being planned on the lines of the Intercontinental Cup for the senior team, which will take place in June, in Mumbai.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is trying to field India’s U-16 team in a four-nation tournament, in Japan, aiming to mould it into a battle-hardened outfit, good enough to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2019.
According to AIFF General Secretary, Kushal Das, the age-group tournament in Japan is being planned on the lines of the Intercontinental Cup for the senior team, which will take place in June, in Mumbai.
“We are trying for a four-nation tournament in Japan. The target is to do well in the AFC U-16 Championships, where the top four teams get direct tickets to the next U-17 World Cup. So, we are trying to build a strong team that can perform well at the AFC Championships,” Das said.
Though almost all the players, who were part of the team for U-17 World Cup at home in 2017, have graduated to the next level, the top AIFF official expressed optimism about the current bunch coached by Bibiano Fernandes.
“One or two players are there from that side (last year’s U-17 squad), but I saw them in Spain and they were pretty impressive, I thought. Besides the senior team, we are very serious about the U-16 team,” Das added.
The 2019 U-17 World Cup will be held in Peru, in September and October. The team is set to compete in a four-nation tournament in Serbia from May 9-13, as part of preparations for the forthcoming AFC Championships in Malaysia.The 2019 U-17 World Cup will be held in Peru, in September and October. The team is set to compete in a four-nation tournament in Serbia from May 9-13, as part of preparations for the forthcoming AFC Championships in Malaysia.
India will face Jordan, Tajikistan and host Serbia in the four-nation tournament, and the AIFF wants to organise more such exposure tour cum tournaments for the U-16 squad.
The Indian team may have finished its campaign in the U-17 World Cup at home in 2017 without a point, but its spirited showings and solid organisation attracted lavish praise from none other than FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, who had called India a “football continent“.
Through its initiatives for the U-16 squad, the AIFF, it seems, is keen to live up to Infantino’s expectations. Before departing for Serbia, coach Bibiano said, “Adapting to different styles of play has been the key for the boys.”
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India U-16s set for Serbian exposure tour, to play for 4-nation tournament
The team is preparing for AFC U-16 championship to be held later this year.
Less than a month after the Indian U-16 National Team played the U-16 National teams of United States of America and Norway in the Sportchain International Friendlies, All India Football Federation has arranged another exposure tour for the boys in May.
The U-16 colts will now travel to Serbia to play in a four-nation tournament wherein they will be competing against of Jordan, Tajikistan and hosts Serbia. The tour to Serbia comes after the boys had earlier played in Qatar, Hong Kong and in Spain.
All the exposure tours have been planned to help the team prepare in the best possible fashion for the forthcoming AFC U-16 Finals Malaysia 2018. This is India’s third qualification to the AFC U-16 Finals in the last four editions. India have been clubbed with current runners-up Islamic Republic of Iran, Vietnam and Indonesia in Group C in the Championship.
Significantly enough with both Jordan and Tajikistan having also qualified for the AFC U-16 Finals, Head Coach Bibiano Fernandes feels it’s a “marvellous opportunity before the real test.”
"This 4-nation tournament is an extremely helpful project for us before the real test in September. It will help us gauge ourselves where we stand against the likes of Jordan, Tajikistan and of course Serbia. It will help us assert the areas which we need to plug in,” he said.
Referring to his team’s matches against a strong USA and Norway, Bibiano stated the “boys have shown their mettle against them.”
"The USA and Norway are much-respected footballing nations across the world. But the boys played their hearts out. They look in good shape and are hungry to achieve more,” he added.
India suffered two narrow 0-1 defeats to the USA before going down 1-3 to Norway in the Sportchain Friendlies.
India’s fixtures in the U-16 four-nation tournament in Serbia is as follows:
May 9, 2018: India vs Jordan (IST 1930hrs).
May 11, 2018: Serbia vs India (IST 2230hrs).
May 13, 2018: Tajikistan vs India (IST 1930hrs).
AIFF eyes another U-17 WC participation, plans more preparatory tournaments
According to AIFF General Secretary, Kushal Das, the age-group tournament in Japan is being planned on the lines of the Intercontinental Cup for the senior team, which will take place in June, in Mumbai.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is trying to field India’s U-16 team in a four-nation tournament, in Japan, aiming to mould it into a battle-hardened outfit, good enough to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2019.
According to AIFF General Secretary, Kushal Das, the age-group tournament in Japan is being planned on the lines of the Intercontinental Cup for the senior team, which will take place in June, in Mumbai.
“We are trying for a four-nation tournament in Japan. The target is to do well in the AFC U-16 Championships, where the top four teams get direct tickets to the next U-17 World Cup. So, we are trying to build a strong team that can perform well at the AFC Championships,” Das said.
Though almost all the players, who were part of the team for U-17 World Cup at home in 2017, have graduated to the next level, the top AIFF official expressed optimism about the current bunch coached by Bibiano Fernandes.
“One or two players are there from that side (last year’s U-17 squad), but I saw them in Spain and they were pretty impressive, I thought. Besides the senior team, we are very serious about the U-16 team,” Das added.
The 2019 U-17 World Cup will be held in Peru, in September and October. The team is set to compete in a four-nation tournament in Serbia from May 9-13, as part of preparations for the forthcoming AFC Championships in Malaysia.The 2019 U-17 World Cup will be held in Peru, in September and October. The team is set to compete in a four-nation tournament in Serbia from May 9-13, as part of preparations for the forthcoming AFC Championships in Malaysia.
India will face Jordan, Tajikistan and host Serbia in the four-nation tournament, and the AIFF wants to organise more such exposure tour cum tournaments for the U-16 squad.
The Indian team may have finished its campaign in the U-17 World Cup at home in 2017 without a point, but its spirited showings and solid organisation attracted lavish praise from none other than FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, who had called India a “football continent“.
Through its initiatives for the U-16 squad, the AIFF, it seems, is keen to live up to Infantino’s expectations. Before departing for Serbia, coach Bibiano said, “Adapting to different styles of play has been the key for the boys.”
would have been better if we conducted few tourneys inviting few teams like dallas cup