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AIFF is leaving no stone unturned in order to prepare the Under-16 team for the AFC under-16 Championship. The Blue Colts have been playing several friendly matches, the latest being in the Serbia Tour, where the young boys played the U16 teams of Serbia, Jordan, and Tajikistan in May. Prior to the Serbia Tour, the boys also got good exposure playing matches against USA and Norway youth teams in the Sport Chain Cup which was conducted in April.
The team showed tremendous ability and even went to become Champions of the four-nation Tournament in Serbia, showcasing what they are capable of achieving.
To ensure that the good run continues, AIFF is organizing more friendly matches, and they need to be lauded for it. Now, the Blue colts will be taking on DPR Korea, Thailand, and host China in another four-nation tournament -- The China Tour. They will be starting their campaign by playing a match against the hosts.
The Blue colts are scheduled to play over 10 friendly matches during July, including seven against U16 national teams.
When the team is done with the China Tour, the next pitstop will be Kuala Lumpur, where they will play the U16 team of Malaysia -- which is also the host nation for the AFC U16 Championship.
Coach Bibiano Fernandes had been training with the boys in Kolkata post their triumph in Serbia, not letting them get too ahead of themselves and keeping the ultimate goal in mind -- that is to do well in the AFC Under-16 Championships.
AIFF has also received the full support of The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Sports Authority of India in organizing these matches, which are great signs for the future of football in India.
In a recent interview, coach Bibiano showed great confidence in the team and said that the team is slowly transforming into the best version possible.
The Blue colts have made a great impact in the past and will hope to continue the good run in China as well -- to keep the momentum going till the AFC Championship.
Here is all you need to know about India's first encounter of the China Tour:
Date: July 3, 2018
Match: India U16 vs China U16
Timing: 5:05 PM Indian Standard Time (IST)
Venue: Wei Nan, China
Television Channel: No telecast
You can also follow all the live updates of the action-packed match on Sportskeeda.
Do you think the Blue Colts will start their campaign on a winning note? Do let us know what you think in the comments section below.
