On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2021, the Coach Education Scholarship Programme, a unique endeavour to educate and develop more female coaches at the grassroots, was launched with its first edition at the Cooperage Stadium in Mumbai with 21 participants.

The Pune iteration of the programme, which continued legacy activities for the forthcoming FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022TM, saw an increase of 24 women from Maharashtra.

With cooperation from FIFA, the Government of Maharashtra, the Pune Sports Department and the Western India Football Association (WIFA), the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022TM aims to establish a pathway for aspiring coaches to become involved in the grassroots of women’s football and mentor young girls from the community who want to participate.

Eager to pursue a career in football, the 24 aspiring coaches undertook the E-Licence coaching course which imparted knowledge regarding the practical as well as the theoretical aspects of the game. This course aimed at furthering the growth of women’s football in the Indian sporting landscape.

The programme was inaugurated on the 3^rd of October 2021 in the presence of Shri Om Prakash Bakoria, Commissioner, Directorate of Sports and Youth Services, Maharashtra, Bala Devi, ace Indian international footballer, and Ankush Arora, Project Director, LOC FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022, amongst other dignitaries.

Shri Om Prakash Bakoria said, “It is imperative that our women benefit from a prestigious event such as the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and this program is helping provide an equal opportunity for women to hone their talent in football. With increased female coaches at the grassroots, we will have more female footballers in the country.”

Mr. Kushal Das, General Secretary of the All India Football Federation added, “The Coach Education Scholarship Programme signifies a positive intent in creating a platform for equality as it will help women from the local community engage themselves in football and thus encourage many young girls to play the game, while also realising a different career opportunity in football. This will be beneficial for women’s football in the long run.”

Indian national team player, and football icon Bala Devi, an active attendee of the event said, “This coaching programme is an extremely important initiative for the future generations. All of you [the women being trained in this programme] hold the keys to nurture the stars of tomorrow. I wish all participants the very best for their futures as well as for the futures of those they will coach in the coming time,” said Bala Devi. Her presence in the programme was a huge boost of motivation for the participants and she was greeted with much joy and fandom.

The upcoming edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will be held in India between October 11 and October 28, 2022.

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“No I am not a kid,” Danu shakes his head. Boris Singh, standing next, puts his hand on his shoulder. Danu smiles again. “No I am not a kid.”

The average age of the probables in the ongoing India U-23 National Team Camp in Goa is 19 years and 4 months, with Danu being the youngest. Indian Football has grown young.

“I understand this is a U-23 Camp for the Indian National Team. Some of the seniors have already played for India, even in the Asian Cup. This is the best moment of my life,” Danu narrates. “But I am not a kid,” he reiterates. “I watch the Seniors on TV play for India regularly. I need to pinch myself that I am here.”

Head Coach Derrick Pereira, a former India International leans back on his chair, and smiles. “We have to look at younger players. We need to look at the future. This camp will help them believe they can make it to the top level,” he mentions in reference to the players from Indian Arrows in the Camp.

There are 9 boys from the Indian Arrows who have been summoned to the Camp. 8 of the probables have played in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, all of them have been part of the AIFF Youth Development set-up.

You glance through the list and discover that there are 19 boys in the camp who have been products of the AIFF YDP some time or the other.

“We always kept a tab on the Indian Arrows. They have made a mark, scored goals, won hearts. They deserve the call up,” Pereira adds.

At a distance, you spot Danu and Amarjit Singh flipping through the pages of a magazine.

“We have struggled a lot, and made a lot of sacrifices in our lives. At an age where all other kids are pampered, we have stayed away from our parents,” Amarjit, who captained India in the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 murmurs. “The journey in Arrows has made us stronger. We have stood by each other all throughout,” he stresses.

Assistant Coach Shanmugam Venkatesh, a former Indian National Team Captain glances at the road outside. “There was a football jam the day we returned winning the Federation Cup for Salgaocar FC,” his eyes lit up. “As we were paraded, all I could see was hordes of heads. Goa had come to a standstill,” he recollects.

“But Indian Football has moved a long way forward. The emphasis on youth is one of the most positive traits. The modern day game demands energy, fitness, strength.”

Amarjit maintains “playing in the U-17 World Cup was a dream for all of us.”

“But we cannot rest on that laurel. The target is now to move to the senior National side. It doesn’t matter to me whether I get selected into the final 23 or not. Getting a call up is a big thing for me,” he states. “Training with senior team players will make me stronger as a player. I get to work with the senior team staff.” Danu nods.

At the training session, Danu does a dummy to catch his marker unaware. As his marker recovers and chases, you couldn’t miss that unmistakable stance, soaked both in amazement and appreciation for the ‘kid.’

Indian Football is getting younger!

AIFF MEDIA

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The camp is being held as part of India’s preparation for the upcoming AFC U-23 Championship 2020 qualifiers which are slated to be held in Tashkent from March 22, 2019.

38 players have been summoned for the camp with 19 have joined so far. The rest will be dropping in after finishing their respective club commitments, both at the domestic level and also at the AFC Cup.

Not less than 8 players who had represented India in the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, have also been called up. Overall, 11 players from India Arrows will be in action at the camp.

“It is important to get all the players together,” Coach Pereira maintained. “All the boys are coming back at the end of a long season. Ashique (Kuruniyan), Jerry (Lalrinzuala), Hitesh (Sharma) are ruled out. All of them will be badly missed,” he informed. “We need to check the niggles and fitness levels of all in the camp. We cannot afford to lose anyone anymore.”

Nishu Kumar, Anirudh Thapa, Mohd. Nawaz and Sairuatkima haven’t been able to join this camp owing to their club commitments, while Ashique Kuruniyan, Sahil Panwar and Jerry Lalrinzuala have been ruled out courtesy injuries and Hitesh Sharma is suffering from chicken pox.

The squad will be flying to Doha to play a friendly match against Qatar U-23 National Team before the continental championship qualifiers.

“I am very excited to play Qatar. I feel most of the boys from that team will go on to play in the FIFA World Cup in 2022. It will be a tough test.”

AIFF MEDIA

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In an exclusive interview, he spoke at length about the AFC being aware of the remarkable progress of football in India over the last decade.

EXCERPTS: The hallmark of India’s performance in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup…

DWJ: India has performed well. The win against Thailand — a first in 55 years in the competition — is testament of the development of football in India. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) deserves credit for its dedication.

Despite the loss against UAE, they (India) showed character and resilience.

Of course it is not easy to compete against a tournament heavyweight on home soil and India were a little unfortunate. I believe they can take great pride with their performance.

Has India been the surprise package of the tournament?
DWJ: India’s performance may have come as a surprise for some but we (AFC) were well aware of the remarkable progress of football in the country since the last decade. The AFC’s vision and mission underlines commitment to provide assistance to member associations. As the second largest football community on the planet, we knew about India’s football potential.

Over the years, we have worked closely with the AIFF to raise the standard of the game through various ‘President Initiatives’ and development programmes. There are signs that the sport is scaling new heights in India.

These include the results of the U-16 team at the AFC U-16 Championship in Malaysia in 2018 (they qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time since 2002). Also, Bengaluru FC, who reached the 2016 AFC Cup final and the Inter Zone final and semifinal in 2017 and 2018 respectively, is a good indicator of the progress of football in India.

When we decided to expand the competition from 16 to 24 teams, the idea was to provide member associations more opportunities against top-class competition. It is good that the decision has made an impact on emerging nations which include the Philippines, Kyrgyz Republic and of course, India.

Citing the example of the India U-16 team what has caused the sudden shift for football in India?
DWJ: Competitions drive development and India’s continued presence in AFC tournaments has been the catalyst for the development of football.

The AFC decided to award the AFC U-16 Championship to India (in 2016) to strengthen their capability of hosting the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup and also give them international match experience and exposure — factors vital for the development of football.

The competition also showcased the passion that exists for football in the country as fans rallied behind the senior India team till the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. We hope that India’s commendable display will accelerate this progress.

Does Sunil Chettri’s recent record (he overtook Lionel Messi as the second highest goalscorer among active players in international football) mean anything for Asian football?
DWJ: Sunil’s record clearly exemplifies his desire and professionalism both on and off the pitch. He has been a proud ambassador for club and country. With two goals in this tournament, he has proven his worth on Asia’s grandest stage.

I am confident that he (Chettri) will serve as an inspiration to aspiring footballers in India and Asia. With hard-work, dedication and a commitment to excellence, Sunil proves that nothing is impossible.

AIFF MEDIA

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In the post-match press conference, Spain’s head coach Santiago Denia and Mali’s head coach Jonas Komla addressed the media.

In the second-half of the match when the score was 2-0 in favour of Spain, Mali’s Doucoure effort hit the underside of the crossbar and crossed the line, but the officials failed to spot it which could have turn the match around.

“I understand if the coaches were upset, but I don’t know if it would have changed the game. We have to respect the referee’s decision. But we might consider not to show the replay on the big screen inside the stadium in order to not to influence the referee, coaches or fans,” Santiago Denia said.

Meanwhile, Mali’s head coach Komla admitted Spain’s neat and clinical performance. “I cannot say anything about the referee. That is how football is. We played a good game, fast game but we couldn’t win. Till yesterday, we won matches but today we lost the match.”

“Maybe that (the disallowed goal) would have given us the luck because after that we had time to score the goals. But Spain did play well,” he concluded.

When asked about Captain Abel Ruiz’s performance, Sergio Denia said: “It was not only the captain but the whole team played well. He demands more from himself from each and every game. He will be the first one to say that he should have got more goals today and he will also know that he has to score those goals in the final. And when you have your captain performing like that your team will automatically look up to him and perform well. That is why you have a captain, a thinker, not just any other ordinary player,” Denia concluded.

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Earlier today, Liverpool’s youth player Rhian Brewster (England) bagged a fantastic hat-trick against Brazil to crash Kolkata’s hope of seeing Selecao Brazil in the final of FIFA U-17 World Cup. Meanwhile, in Mumbai, Spain’s Captain Abel Ruiz ran riot to inspire La Roja as they defeated an energetic Mali side 3-1 in the second semi-final.

Right from the beginning, Spain was in control of the match proceedings. In the 2nd minute of the game, Sergio Gomez’s powerful volley almost opened the scoring but a terrific save by Mali’s goalkeeper Youssouf Koita thwarted his brilliant effort.

A minute later, Mali’s top-scorer Lassana N’Diaye had his say in front of the goal when he almost tapped in from close range to break the deadlock. An end-to-end match lifted the spectators at the DY Patil Stadium who astoundingly supported Mali throughout the match.

The deadlock was finally broken in the 19th minute when Spain’s Cesar Gelabert was brought down inside the box, handing Spain a crucial opportunity to open the scoring. La Roja’s Captain Abel Ruiz stepped up and comfortably converted the penalty to put his in front.

As Mali started to dominate the game through their free-flowing attacking football, Spain doubled their lead against the run of play in the 43rd minute. Midfielder Cesar Gelabert played a delightful through ball to Abel Ruiz who comprehensively scored past Mali’s custodian Koita to score his sixth goal of the campaign.

The second-half saw Mali at their very best but despite a good performance, Spain proved to be just too good for the African giants. Also, a bit of controversy was followed in the second-half.

Mali’s midfielder Cheick Doucoure unleashed a deadly shot from 25 yards which rattled the upright and crossed the line, similar to Frank Lampard’s effort for England against Germany in the FIFA World Cup 2010. Mali’s players and management argued with the referees but it was of no use.

A few minutes later, a brilliant cross by Sergio Gomez was met by Ferran Torres’ looping header which increased Spain’s lead by three goals. Mali did cut short the deficit three minutes later through their talismanic striker Lassana N’Diaye who scored a superb left-footed goal to take his goal tally to six goals.

Irrespective of the results, Mali has surely proved their strength and passion in this World Cup. Meanwhile, for Spain, it will be quite a task to see-off a strong English side in the final at Kolkata.

The post Spain to play England in the FIFA U-17 World Cup Final appeared first on Football Counter.

Santiago Denia’s side is heading towards the match on the back of a comprehensive 3-1 win against Iran, while, Mali produced a superb display to send Ghana home after a narrow 2-1 win. Both the countries have only faced each other once previously when La Roja registered a 1-0 win in 1997.

Remarkably, Spain and Mali are current holders of their respective continents as both the U-17 side has lifted UEFA U-17 Euro and AFCON U-17, respectively. Not to forget, both the teams have lost only once on their road to the semi-final.

Mali’s striker Lassana N’Diaye’s performance will be crucial in tomorrow’s semi-final clash as he is currently leading the race for the Golden Boot with five goals so far. Following N’Diaye closely is Spain’s Captain Abel Ruiz and England’s sensation Rhian Brewster who have scored four goals each.

In terms of defense, Spain’s backline has been quite organized. La Roja has only conceded four goals, whereas, Mali has conceded six times so far. Keeping each other’s attacking threat in mind, both Spain and Mali will be looking to stand strong at the back tomorrow in hope stay alive in the contest.

Players to watch out for: Mali – Hadji Drame, Salam Jiddou, and Lassana N’Diaye.
Spain – Sergio Gomez, Abel Ruiz, and Ferran Torres.

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Here are some of the key points from India’s two matches, so far.

1. A tale of 3 crucial opportunities

Indian Football Team displayed a scintillating performance and exceeded expectations of the majority of the fans when they played Colombia at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on 9th October. The energetic U17 side lost 2-1 at the hands of Los Cafeteros after striker Penaloza scored two second-half goals to break Indian hearts.

Things could have been pretty different had India converted these three crucial opportunities earlier in the match. Abhijit Sarkar, Rahul Kannoly, and Naorem saw their efforts either being saved or denied by the woodwork. Nonetheless, India finally showcased their potential on a very big stage.

2. Clash of Walls

Dheeraj Moirangthem vs Kevin Mier – India vs Colombia was all about spectacular saves from both the custodians at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Shots were flying in, so were both the Goalkeepers. Whereas on one end, Dheeraj kept India alive with his fabulous saves, on the other end, Colombia’s very own Kevin Mier made three spectacular saves to deny the host their first FIFA World Cup goal.

3. Mr. Dependent – Rahul Kannoly

With Boris Thangjam suspended for the clash against the USA, everyone expressed their concern whether Indian Football Team can rely on Right-back Rahul Kannoly. The number 17 didn’t disappoint as he displayed an excellent performance against the USA which was followed by yet another good performance against the Colombians where surprisingly he was fielded as the left winger. In the first-half itself, Rahul came agonizingly close to open the scoring but his powerful left-footed strike only manages to hit the woodwork.

4. “The 12th player” – Fans

Both the Indian Football Team matches (vs USA and Colombia) lured over 45000 fans at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The best atmosphere was undoubtedly felt during the second match against Colombia which was insanely electrifying. Right from the beginning to the end, the whole stadium was on its feet to back our U17 side. Be it Blue Pilgrims, Minerva Academy Football & Cricket Club Fan Group, or the fans from all over the country.
History was made later in the match where these passionate bunch of fans witnessed the first-ever FIFA World Cup goal by India.

5. The Defensive Wall of India

In these two FIFA U-17 World Cup matches, one thing which the media, opponents coach and the fans highly acknowledge was Indian Football Team’s resolute defense. In the first game, USA’s Coach John Hackworth named India’s center-backs when he was asked to choose one player he would like to pick from the Indian team.
Following their game against Colombia, Orlando Restrepo also praised India’s defense as they made life hard for the Colombians. Kudos to Anwar Ali, Namit Deshpande, Jitendra Singh, Sanjeev Stalin and Boris Thangjam who defended for their lives so far in the World Cup campaign.

6. Shouldn’t we also praise Sanjeev Stalin?

In the process of Indian Football Team’s first ever FIFA World Cup goal, it was Sanjeev’s brilliantly taken corner which met Jeakson Singh’s looping header, making him the first player to register an assist for India in the World Cup.

7. The Creative Maestro – Ninthoinganba Meetei

In both the matches (vs USA and Ghana), Meetei produced a superb display to wreak havoc in opponent’s half. The number 7 utilized his pace and creativity to trick past his marker with an exquisite quick-feet.

8. The evolution from Nicolai Adams to Luis de Norton Matos

Nicolai Adams who coached the Indian Football Team U17 team for over one and a half year formed the foundation of this free-flowing attacking side. Matos took over Adams last year when he was relieved of his coaching duties.
Although Coach Matos will be remembered for improving the team since he took in-charge, a major credit should be given to Nicolai Adams for his excellent work and make this young Indian side mature.

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“Every World Cup draw is exciting, but the fact that USA is drawn into the same group as India is especially meaningful for me,” Gulati told FIFA.com in an exclusive interview.

“The overall tournament will be an inspiring event for the sport in India, and the chance for the US to help open the tournament on the first day is a special opportunity. Of course, with Ghana, a perennial power at U-17 level and Colombia in the group, it won’t be only about the US and India.”

“I think India’s made a lot of strides in football,” Gulati said. “It’s a big challenge there because it’s such a large country, it’s not traditionally been the number one sport and it’s also got a very diverse population. In those senses, it’s a bit like the USA. We’ve talked about this with the AIFF (All India Football Federation) leadership on some of the similarities with the challenge that we’ve had in the U.S. and that they’ve got here.”

“The U-17 World Cup is an important event because it’s a showcase event. You’ve got so many young players that become stars from this tournament and I think there will be fond memories for those players and the people watching them.

“It’s a great opportunity to see young players who aren’t constrained,” Gulati continued. “Maybe some of the discipline and pressure you see in senior team football is lost there, and I think that’s a good thing at this age. You don’t know who those stars will be, whereas in a World Cup you expect Messi or Ronaldo to step up. So many top players come through this tournament and I think it’ll happen again.”

“Christian’s obviously done very well for us,” Gulati said. “He was clearly a very good player, but I don’t think many would have predicted how quickly he became an important player for our national team and at Dortmund, who have a lot of very good players. He’s a great talent.

“We had Landon Donovan at New Zealand 1999, he was the Golden Ball winner there. DaMarcus Beasley got the Silver Ball in that tournament and he’s played four senior World Cups. Those are important names in our history and hopefully Christian becomes a very important name in our future.”

“I think I’ll skip my classes at Columbia [University] and come for that opening game!” Sunil Gulati laughed.

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“In Football, the word impossible does not exist and we are going to fight in every game, in every moment to give it our best on the pitch,” he said.

“The boys are not afraid of any team and that is a very positive notion. If we have 20 percent chance of winning a game, we will ensure that we make it a cent percent,” Matos added.

India will clash against USA in their opening match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 on October 06, 2017 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the Capital, before taking on Colombia on October 09 and Ghana on October 12respectively.

AIFF President Mr. Praful Patel sitting beside Matos said: “All games which India play will have a large audience and we will ensure to give India all the support it can get from the fans.”

“The AIFF along with the Government of India will ensure that a maximum number of schools and colleges come over to the Stadium to cheer for the Nation,” Mr. Patel stated.

Reflecting on India’s opponents in the FIFA U-17 World Cup Matos said, “USA has only missed one FIFA World Cup in this category and they will pose a tough challenge for us, we have to be on our toes to give them a tough fight.”

“The Teams in the FIFA U-17 World Cup will have at least 10 years of experience but we are not afraid to play our game. All the three teams we will face will be very strong”

“Colombia is one of the best South American teams and they will be very tough and very strong on the pitch. So will be USA and Ghana,” Matos reflected.

Indian U-17 Team defender Sanjeev Stalin thanked AIFF for giving them the opportunity to play in a World Cup.

“To play a FIFA World Cup is a moment which a Player reverse all his life,” Stalin pronounced. “I need to thank the AIFF for bringing the World Cup to India and giving us an opportunity to play in the Tournament,” he added.

The Indian U-17 World Cup Squad had been on an exposure trip to Europe and had faced National Teams of Serbia, Macedonia and Hungary, which according to Coach Matos “aided in the development of the Team, both physically and technically.”

“The most important thing right now is to prepare for the future and work for the development of football in the country”

“It is possible to play against any team in World Football all you need is support from the fans and time to develop as a team,” he informed. 

India’s fixtures in the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 India:

October 06: India vs USA, October 09: India vs Colombia and October 12: India vs Ghana. 

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