'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Our under-16 football team, which boasts of a better international standing than most of its neighbours, is currently on a two-month tour of Germany to gain exposure and hone their skills. The tour has materialised through an association between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the German Football Association (DFB).
During the tour, the Indian side will play around 15-20 practice matches with the junior local teams of Germany including Bayern Munich and RB Salzburg. As per a press release by the AIFF, this has been organised to provide ‘the best possible exposure’ to the squad. The officials also claim that the host country, which indeed is the epicentre of youth football, has been cooperative and helpful.
The tour will be followed by the team’s participation in the AFC under-16 qualifiers at Tabriz City, Iran after which it will head to Spain to compete in the AGS Cup in the third week of September.
India U-17 World Cup head coach Nicolai Adam informed AIFF that the tour will “help the team in the long run. The preparation in Germany before the AFC U-16 qualifiers will be good for the boys. The AFC qualifiers will be tough with Iran, Bahrain and Lebanon in our group.”
The colts impressed everyone with their performance in the fifth practice match of the tour against Rosenheim U-16. They registered a victory by taking the score line to double digits and winning the match by 14-1. What stunned everyone was the Indian victory against the under 19 side of JFG Mangfalltal.
The team was steadfast right from the beginning and registered a 5-2 win. The boys lost 3-5 to SpVgg Unterhaching, the side which has been quite consistent in German football. The players that have been looked at quite closely include Aniket, Boris, Rahul and Komal.
A summary of the matches played thus far looks impressive. With just 3 losses in 10 games, Indian colts look to be a promising lot and one needs to bear in mind that the losses also came against some of the powerhouses like RB Salzburg.
With another month to go in Germany, the squad will now face the likes of Junior team of FC Bayern Munich. We wish the Indian U-16 team the best for the upcoming matches and AFC 16 qualifiers in Tabriz.
