India’s recent historic win in the AFC Challenge Cup promises to inspire the country’s U-16 team when they press for recognition and glory in the AFC U-16 Championship in Uzbekistan.
The senior side’s incentive for winning the AFC Challenge Cup was a berth in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup but a last four finish will suffice for the juniors to make the FIFA U-17 World Cup next year in Nigeria.
And, given their form in the qualifying, the Indians look prepared to raise the bar of expectations in what happens to be their fifth appearance in the finals, thanks to proper planning, exposure and corporate support.
India stunned powerhouse Saudi Arabia and Lebanon to punch their ticket to Tashkent before chalking up impressive results in their training tours of the United States and England.
In July this year, they won six of their seven friendly games in the US and recently held the youth team of Manchester United 3-3 in their nine-day trip to England.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) deserves credit for meticulously planning the team’s preparations.
They have roped in a sponsor and kept the players together in Goa for more than a year. This move has paid off by developing a deep sense of bonding among the players and their foreign trips have provided them the much-needed experience at the international stage.
“They are an important part of our development programme. It is vital for us to be consistently working to improve the quality of our age-group squads every year,” explained AIFF Technical Director Colin Toal on the federation’s official website.
Toal has been given the responsibility of shaping up India’s U-19, U-16 and U-14 teams and he looked forward to an improved show by the Indian teams in a few years’ time.
“We are confident that with continuity and stability in our youth programmes, we will eventually produce players who will make a meaningful contribution to our senior national team’s success,” he said.
Midfielders Malswamfela of Mizoram and his statemate Lalrindika will be the players to watch out for when India takes the field in Tashkent. The duo scored four and three goals respectively in the team’s qualifying campaign while Malswamfela scored a brace against the Manchester United youth side in a friendly.
Indian footballers now can cope with the best in the world and the achievements of this under-16 team could herald the arrival of a new and bold era in Indian football.
Source:AFC.com
