Telecast overseas of a tournament held in India is an way to popularize the game in India as Indian clubs training abroad for an indian league is the way you improve your infra. AIFF is a fast learner.
The German coach believes that the age cut-offs set for the AFC Under-16 competition make little sense…
The Indian team participating in the AFC Asian Championship Under-16 will be without four members of their current squad – Abhijit Sarkar, Tamal Naskar, Hendry Antonay and Joysana Singh. The reason being different cut-off dates with regards to choosing the squad for the AFC Under-16 tournament as well as the World Cup. Reamsochung Chongompipa Aimol has also been ruled out of the competition due to a shin injury suffered in Germany.
AFC Under-16 championship stipulations state that any player born between January 1st 2000 and September 1st 2000 will not be eligible for the tournament provided they haven’t been registered a year before for the AFC Under-16 qualifiers. But the Under-17 World Cup rules state that players born between January 1st and September 1st, 2000 will be available for selection.
“The problem is, AFC (Asian Football Confederation), for whatever reason - I still don't understand the reason, they tell me it is to prevent age cheating - a newly scouted player that was not in the final list for the qualifiers cannot play in the AFC Championship now if he is born before September 1st 2000. So new players, which we have actually found, can only play if they were born on September 1st 2000 or later.
“For example, a big Indian talent who we have in Abhijit as a number 10 cannot play because he was not on that final list for the qualifiers. He was on the preliminary list. If somebody should ask why Abhijit was not on that list, he was injured at that time. Name one head coach who put an injured player on the final list for a qualifying round. No head coach does that. So that rule makes no sense. To be very honest with you, I did not know about that rule (earlier). If I had known about that rule, I would have put him on that list even after he was injured, but who does that. Normally, nobody does that.
“Because of that rule, he (Abhijit) cannot now play in the AFC Championship. In other words, if you are in Abhijit's situation and injured at the wrong time, your football year is basically over. The next highlight for the youth players is may be in 2019. So AFC has to think about this rule. Does that make sense? Is that for the best development of a player?' It's not,” India Under-16 coach Nicolai Adam explained.
The former Azerbaijan youth team coach reasoned that while the AFC wants every nation to send its best team for the competition, it is their rules which hinder the very same process.
“There is a paragraph in the AFC rules which says that it is our duty to send in our best teams. I would like to do that but your rule does not allow me. And I think everybody understands now if a player who was injured over a year ago gets now punishment for that. This shows everything- that the age cut-off rule is not for football. It’s for whatever BUT not for football. Of course I have to deal with it. I speak on everyone’s behalf, I was in Kuala Lumpur where I stood up and spoke to them in front of all the others, and they were all shaking their heads in a yes way (affirmation) that he is somebody who is finally says that rule should be changed. But it is not, which is bad,” he elucidated.
Questioned if the absence of the abovementioned players would severely weaken the Indian team at the AFC U-16 Championship, Adam answered in the affirmative.
“Yes, four less options. Obviously we aren’t dependent on one group but four less options are going to cost us. I have thought about it a lot of times now and the more I think about it the more frustrated I get. So I decide, ‘Okay, let’s get it behind you, after the tournament, straightforward to the World Cup and thankfully with the help of SAI (Sports Authority of India), we will have more exposure trips and we will have BRICS tournaments. So Abhijit and all the others who are affected by this senseless rule will have more chances to develop,” he signed off
Oman U-16 1 - 2 Saudi Arabia U-16, Second friendly between these two nations.
Australia U-16(Joeys) will reach India Tomorrow for AFC U-16 Championship, they are the Current ASEAN U-16 Champions Which they won by beating Vietnam in June 2016
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