NEW DELHI: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is planning for tournaments that can help create a team that is well prepared for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2019 in Peru, the Press Trust of India reports.
The AIFF wishes that India’s U-16 team participates in a four-nation tournament in Japan.
“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,” AIFF general secretary Kushal Das told PTI.
Although many players that featured in the last U-17 World Cup in India have moved ahead, this group of players coached by Bibiano Fernandes has given Das optimism.
“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.
Otherwise, India will be competing in a four-nation tournament in Serbia from May 9-13 alongside Jordan, Tajikistan and hosts Serbia, to prepare for the upcoming AFC Championships in Malaysia.
