AFC Under-16 Championship: India face Syria in crucial match tomorrow

After their opening day 2-3 loss against title contenders Uzbekistan, the India Under-16 boys go into their second Group D match against Syria in the AFC Under-16 Championship in Tehran knowing that at least a couple or ideally a win could help their cause to qualify for the quarterfinals, while a loss could mean the end of their hopes.

After the loss against Uzbekistan the young Indians were a disappointed lot, then a point against a superior opponent was surely in their grasp.

Speaking about the next opponent head coach Colm Toal said, "Syria are a very tough side. They have some good individual players."

"We are looking forward to another tough game. They are strong and aggressive who can play football at the same time. They need to be lauded for their fighting spirit – the manner in which they came back to equalise in injury time (against China)," Colm adds.

"We couldn't prepare much because of the situation back home. I am confident about the ability of my boys but they haven’t been tested so far," Syrian coach Muhannad Alfakeer said.

"We have played International Friendlies against Oman and Jordan prior to coming here," he adds.

Meanwhile looking back Colm Toal said, "It was disappointment against Uzbekistan. Having shown so much improvement since the last time we played them, it's frustrating not to get a result which we deserved."

"There's hardly any recovery time for the players. The injuries sustained need to be healed and the physical reaction of the boys, whether the boys would be able to recover in time would play an important role,” he quips further.

"Our game is based on organisation and pressing. We do a lot of running around. The boys will have to be 100 percent fit," Colm ended.

India have a tough task on hand against Syria tomorrow at the Rah Ahan Stadium in Tehran.

AFC Under-16 Championship: India ready for tournament!

The AFC Under-16 Championship will kick-off tomorrow in the Iranian capital Tehran and run until October 6. India are placed in Group D along with Uzbekistan, Syria and China. The talented Indian Junior boys arrived in Tehran in the early hours of today after their three week training camp in Dubai.

India open their tournament on Sunday against Uzbekistan, then face Syria on Tuesday and in the final game on Thursday neighbours China will be the opponent. India will play all their matches at the Rah Ahan Stadium.

Head Coach Colm Toal said about the task ahead, "Every country goes into a Championship hoping to be successful and win every match they play. It may sound cliché but we are taking one match at a time. But yeah, we will look to win the match for sure. We have played at this level in 2008. I can tell you this is a very difficult Championship and in 2008, we found out the competition was very tough."

"At this level it's not about results. Rather, it's more about the developmental part. If you look at the squad of 2088, 17 of them are playing in the I-League at the moment and 5 have been in the National Camp with three having already made their debut. Three years down the line if we get some of the boys from this present U-16 squad emulating it, I feel we have been successful," Colm Toal added.


INDIA Under-16

Goalkeepers
Supratim Bhattacharjee (West Bengal), Avinash Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Agaipal Singh (Punjab)

Defenders
Mohammed Sajid Dhot (Punjab), Gurba Gagrai (Jharkhand), Sarthak Golui (West Bengal), Jimmy Maibam (Manipur), Myron Mendes (Goa), Nabin Rabha (Assam), Vivekananda Sagayaraj (Karnataka), Manraj Singh (Punjab)

Midfielders
Geremsha Basumatary (Assam), Alen Deory (Assam), Hanan Javed (Kerala), Nitin Jyal (Uttarakhand), K. Lalramzuava (Chandigarh), Raja Rawat (Uttarakhand), Germanpreet Singh (Punjab), Issac Vanmalswama (Mizoram)

Forwards
Daniel Lalhlimpuia (Chandigarh), Uttam Rai (Sikkim), Kamalpreet Singh (Punjab), Vanlalduatsanga (Mizoram)

Officials
Colm Joseph Toal (Head Coach)

AIFF Coaching Seminar gets positive Feedback from Participants

After getting off to a slow start the ongoing All India Football Federation Coaching Seminar in Navi Mumbai came in for praise from the participating Coaches and Instructors. The facilities at the seminar hotel, the food and the arrangements, the logistics and most importantly, the knowledge being passed on have simply bowled over the 65 participants.

Former India Captain, creative midfielder Prasanta Banerjee says, "I came here expecting value addition. Rob Baan, Wim Koevermans and Scott O'Donell are laying emphasis on building from the back. Modern football is all about looking forward. The finer aspects of 4-3-3 is being stressed upon," he says.

"The Seminar is a fantastic initiative which was long overdue," commented Pradhyum Reddy Shillong Lajong's Scottish born coach. "I only hope this is the first of many more such Seminars. There has always been a disconnect between the National Coach and the Coaches at the top level with the Club Coaches and Coaches at the development level," he adds.

"In the UK and the US, such Coaching Conventions stay common where the philosophy is taught and told and the participants become more responsible learning the finer aspects."

The Seminar which comprises of both theoretical and practical sessions is being held at the Royal Orchid Hotel in Navi Mumbai and the Father Agnel School Ground, respectively.

There's a buzz every morning. The participants look smart in their kits, sign the attendance sheet, take their seats and then the notes. "It reminds me of my school days," smiles former India winger Gautam Ghosh. "We need to be flexible to envelope the extra bit of knowledge. If you have any ego, you will not learn."

Ghosh's room partner Tanumoy Basu, a former India goalkeeper presently the Goalkeeping Coach of the India Under-22s and Pailan Arrows feels, "the Seminar reflects the positive mindset of the All India Football Federation."

"The Academies promise us the future; Pailan Arrows builds up towards the future; Seminars like this explain to us what is needed to get to the future. And mind you, all of them are being stitched in one thread. The YDP is in full flow and there's synchronisation among all. I credit and thank (Kushal) Das for his efforts," Basu maintains.

You reflect for a moment and understand Basu is right. Former National Coach Savio Medeira complements Basu. "As a Coach you need to enhance yourself and stay updated. The handbook provided is very useful indeed," he opines.

"There's no more confusion. The Technical Director has told us what he wants us to do with our clubs," Godfrey Pereira, newly appointed Air India coach and also a former India International says. "The practices need to be match centric. There can't be any static movements. You always need to move and run with the ball. There's a more realistic and definite approach. I need to thank AIFF for arranging such a seminar."

You move around. There's a team working 24x7 supervising the facilities at the Hotel, the food, the daily needs and taking care of the logistics. "I'd say here's quality all around. The clothing provided to us have been good and I appreciate the treatment and the pain taken to make us comfortable," Ajit Braich, someone who has come all the way from Canada, explains. Braich stays the Head Youth Coach at Vancouver Whitecaps.

"I have attended many such Seminars and I need to tell you the sessions have been informative. In Football you can't beat around the bush and that's what is being stressed upon. I credit the AIFF for the initiative," he comments.

Syed Shabir Pasha, also a former India International adds, "Every theory is being backed and demonstrated in the practical sessions. That's what enlightens a Coach," Pasha echoes.

Colm Toal: Coaches need to differentiate between winning and development

Colm Joseph Toal, the AIFF's Head Coach Youth Development and the man who has over the last few years given India's Youth system some structure, expressed his views on the current state of National Youth Teams.

In Colm's presentation which was appreciated by all, Toal encouraged all the participants to "express their opinions".

"We need to talk and question each other. Coaching is all about opinion and nothing is correct and definite. The more the opinion, the more the ideation," Colm defined.

"It's imperative to understand the difference between winning and development," Colm further added. "At the Youth Development Programme, winning doesn't matter; but development does. You all as Coaches need to differentiate it. It's necessary to strike the balance and marry both," he maintained.

Earlier in the day, Pradip Dutta, AIFF Fitness Coach, struck a balance on the Physical Preparation of Young Players. An AFC Elite Panel Instructor, Dutta emphasized on the recovery of players, as he spoke at length about the dominant energy systems, ergo genesis, energy suppliers, limiting factors and training objectives. He also highlighted the comparison between early specialization and multilateral development and also on duration of exercises.

Significantly enough, he brought forward injury prevention techniques and a periodization model for long term strength training.

Scott O'Donell, the Technical Director of the AIFF Regional and Elite Academies, dished out the Plan for future AIFF Regional and Elite Academies. "We need to create a Nationwide scouting network to ensure we produce future World Class Players."

The practical session for the day was conducted by AIFF Technical Director Rob Baan as he demonstrated various skill training techniques at Father Agnel's Training Ground.


The list of participants

Godfrey Pereira, Noushad Moosa, Kundan Chandran, Shaikh Arshad Hussain, Abdul Azim Siddique, Nirvan Shah, Aqueel Ansari, Khalid Jamil, Raghuvir Pravin Khanolkar, Augusto D'Silva, Faruk Ahmed, Mohammed Yusuf Ansari (all Maharashtra); Birbal Singh, Ekendra Singh, Bitan Singh (all Manipur); R. Thyagraj, Stanley Rozario, Thomas Joseph, John Kenneth Raj, Mastan Ahmed, P. Muralidharan (all Karnataka), Prasanta Banerjee, Gautam Ghosh (both West Bengal), Parthasarathy Thulasi, Syed Sabir Pasha, C.M. Ranjith (all Tamil Nadu); S. Geevarghese, C.J. Charles, P.M. Saji, Biby Thomas, Satheevan Balan, Feroz Sheriff, Narayana Menon (all Kerala); William Koso (Nagaland); Maymol Rocky, Marcus Anthony Pachecho, Francisco Bruto da Costa, Jude Barreto, Savio Medeira, Mario Aguiar (all Goa), Tarun Roy, Anadi Baruah (both Delhi); Sajid Yusuf, Hilal Parray (both J&K); Surinder Singh (Chandigarh)

Coaches from Clubs/Academies: Tanumoy Basu (Pailan Arrows); Bino George (Chirag United Kerala), Arun Pratap (Chirag United Kerala Academy); Deepak (Kerala FA Academy); Sujay Sharma, Arata Izumi (both Pune FC); Ahmed Aslam Khan (SAI, Bangalore); Mathew D'Costa, Gavin Araujo (both Dempo); Augustine Antao, Joaquim Crasto (both Salgaocar); Suren Chhetri, Pranai Subba (both United Sikkim FC); Richard Hood (Tata Football Academy); Manoj Kumar (SEPT, Calicut); Pradyuman Reddy (Shillong Lajong FC); Sunil Chaudhury, Cetano Pinho (both ONGC); Ajit Braich (Canada)

AIFF Coaching Seminar to highlight on 'Match related' Coaching

A five-day Coaching Seminar organised by the All India Football Federation kicks-off in Navi Mumbai tomorrow. The Seminar, a first of its kind in India, will be conducted by AIFF Technical Director Rob Baan, National Coach Wim Koevermans and Scott O'Donell, Technical Director of the Regional and Elite Academies.

Colm Joseph Toal, Head Coach, Youth Development will also be expressing his views at the Seminar, while former India captain Baichung Bhutia will be a guest speaker as will be the AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das. Raymond Farrelly of Coach FX will also attend as a Guest Speaker.

65 Coaches from all over India including AIFF Contracted Coaches and Coaches from I-League Clubs have confirmed their participation. The Seminar intends to educate and produce better Coaches and players via "match related" coaching.

Baan feels it will be "nice to interact with so many Coaches in the Seminar."

"I look forward to receiving inputs from all of them," Baan added.

The opening day kicks-off with Kushal Das dishing out plans for the long term future of Indian football with Baan and Koevermans conducting sessions on 'Overall vision to improve Indian Football' and "What is football?," respectively while Bhutia stays the guest speaker. In the afternoon, Baan and O’Donell would also be conducting the theoretical session, 'Coaching, the match related approach.'

The theoretical sessions would be held at the Royal Orchid Hotel while the practical sessions will be conducted at the Father Agnel School ground where the first AIFF Regional Academy is located.


The list of participants

Godfrey Pereira, Noushad Moosa, Kundan Chandran, Shaikh Arshad Hussain, Abdul Azim Siddique, Nirvan Shah, Aqueel Ansari, Khalid Jamil, Raghuvir Pravin Khanolkar, Augusto D'Silva, Faruk Ahmed, Mohammed Yusuf Ansari (all Maharashtra); Birbal Singh, Ekendra Singh, Bitan Singh (all Manipur); R. Thyagraj, Stanley Rozario, Thomas Joseph, John Kenneth Raj, Mastan Ahmed, P. Muralidharan (all Karnataka), Prasanta Banerjee, Gautam Ghosh (both West Bengal), Parthasarathy Thulasi, Syed Sabir Pasha, CM Ranjith (all Tamil Nadu); S. Geevarghese, C.J. Charles, P.M. Saji, Biby Thomas, Satheevan Balan, Feroz Sheriff, Narayana Menon (all Kerala); William Koso (Nagaland); Maymol Rocky, Marcus Pachecho, Francisco Bruto da Costa, Jude Barreto, Savio Medeira, Mario Aguiar (all Goa), Tarun Roy, Anadi Baruah (both Delhi); Sajid Yusuf, Hilal Parray (both J&K); Surinder Singh (Chandigarh)

Coaches from Clubs/Academies: Tanumoy Basu (Pailan Arrows); Bino George (Chirag United Kerala), Arun Pratap (Chirag United Kerala Academy); Deepak (Kerala FA Academy); Sujay Sharma, Arata Izumi (both Pune FC); Ahmed Aslam Khan (SAI, Bangalore); Mathew D'Costa, Gavin Araujo (both Dempo); Augustine Antao, Joaquim Crasto (both Salgaocar); Suren Chhetri, Pranai Subba (both United Sikkim FC); Richard Hood (Tata Football Academy); Manoj Kumar (SEPT, Calicut); Pradyuman Reddy (Shillong Lajong FC); Sunil Chaudhury, Cetano Pinho (both ONGC); Ajit Braich (Canada)

Five-day AIFF Coaching Seminar to be held from July 16

The All India Football Federation will be organising a five-day Coaching Seminar in Navi Mumbai from July 16 to 20. The AIFF's Technical Director Rob Baan; National Coach Wim Koevermans; the Technical Director of the Regional and Elite Academies Scott O'Donell, Head Coach of the Youth Development programme Colm Joseph Toal will be addressing the Seminar.

The Opening day will also have former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia as a Guest Speaker and the AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das will be addressing the gathering on the long-term future of Indian football.

"We have invited around 70 coaches for the seminar including all the Coaches from all the I-League Clubs and all AIFF Contracted Coaches," Kushal Das informed.

"The Seminar gives us the opportunity to exchange knowledge and discuss our new vision for the future development of Indian football," said AIFF Technical Director Rob Baan. "We also hope the coaches will provide us a lot of inputs," Baan added.

Baan, Koevermans and O'Donell would also be imparting practical session classes to the participants. The theoretical sessions would be held at the Royal Orchid Hotel in Navi Mumbai while the Practical Sessions would be conducted at the Father Agnel School Ground in Navi Mumbai where the AIFF's First Regional Academy has been set-up.

"This is the first major Coaching Clinic organised by AIFF's Technical Team. It will showcase the new philosophy which is being implemented in Indian football in terms of Coach Education, style of play and talent development," Kushal Das maintained.

"I'm sure the Seminar would unearth some exciting young concepts which will serve Indian football in good stead in the future."

There would also be separate sessions conducted by Dr. Manabendra Bhattacharya on Medical Care and Treatment of youth players (including age verification) and one by Pradip Dutta on Physical Preparation of young players.

VIDEO: Documentary on Launch of first AIFF Regional Academy

The All India Football Federation in collaboration with world football governing body FIFA launched its first Regional Academy at the Father Agnel School premises in Vashi, Navi Mumbai on May 1, 2012. This is the first of four such Academies to come-up across India and here a documentary on the launch and reactions from key stakeholders and personal involved in the Academy.

AIFF's First Regional Academy opens in Navi Mumbai

The first All India Football Federation's Regional Academy in collaboration with FIFA opened at the Father Agnel School premises in Vashi, Navi Mumbai earlier today. Twenty Under-15 boys including two goalkeepers will be a part of the Residential Academy at the School premises.

Scott O'Donell, Technical Director of the AIFF Regional and Elite Academies conducted the first training session which was more of 'fun than intensive training'.

"It's imperative that the boys settle down. Hence, we will stress on fun sessions for the first few days. Form thereon, we move into intense training," Scott O'Donell, stressed.

Colm Toal, Head Coach of the AIFF Youth Development and National Team Coach Savio Medeira were also part of the first training session.

"The Academies would provide the National Coach more options when he sits down to choose the Indian squad in the future," Colm Toal maintained.

"This was long due," Savio commented. "All India Football Federation's effort is laudable indeed."

The AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das said, "The future of Indian football lies in the youth. This is AIFF's first Regional Academy and we stay committed to open more Regional Academies."

"The entire focus stays on creating World Class Players for the future," he added.

Father Saturnino Almeida, Managing Director of Father Agnel Schools who has been running from pillar to post to get everything in perfect shape, said "the Academy is all about the future!"

"This is a fantastic opportunity where two social institutions of India come together to serve the future of the country in Academies and Football," the Father explained.

Former Indian international Aqeel Ansari will be the Assistant Coach at the Academy while Ms. Sonika Sudan has been appointed as the Physiotherapist and Shailesh Karkera has been appointed the Academy Manager.

Rob Baan: Regional Academies will shape the future

Against the backdrop of the Under-22 India trials for the qualifiers of the 2013 AFC Under-22 Asian Cup being held in Pailan World School, Kolkata; two of the most significant technical personalities for football in India - AIFF Technical Director Rob Baan and Head Coach Youth Development Colm Joseph Toal came together to speak from the dais at a Media Interaction yesterday.

The duo are currently at Pailan World School to conduct and select 30 boys for the preparatory camp, which would be held prior to the qualifying phase which is scheduled from June 23. 68 boys, including those from the AIFF's Youth Development Team, Pailan Arrows, are attending the trials.

Baan thanked Pailan Group chairman Apurba Saha for his support and hospitality during the camp, a view which was endorsed by Toal. Saha, who was also present on the occasion added, "It's an honour for me that the U-22 National Trials are being held in Pailan and the Regional Academy would be coming up at our campus."

"The U-22 Asian Cup is an important tournament for us," Baan opined. "We have been clubbed in a tough group but it gives the boys an opportunity to play five quality games. We need to remember that not all among this bunch of boys get a chance to play competitive football in the I-League."

"With the right kind of physical conditioning, we will be competitive in the tournament," Baan stressed. India who have been drawn with Oman, Iraq, UAE, Lebanon and Turkmenistan in Group A, play Lebanon in their first match on June 23.

"The forthcoming Regional Academies which are being set-up are very significant," Baan maintained. "One needs to remember we won't deal with U-16 boys in the Academies; rather we are focusing on U-14 boys. They stay a step in the right direction and will shape the future. The I-League clubs need to follow the model."

Toal, who has been in charge of AIFF's Youth Development Programme for the last five years said, "Someone of Mr. Rob Baan's stature joining as the Technical Director is one of the most positive developments in Indian football. His experience will help us in the long run," Colm felt.

"Even at the moment when we are dealing with a specific set of boys, there's always a vacuum underneath. That’s where the clubs need to take more responsibilities," Colm maintained.

"Education for Coaches is imperative. They need to stay updated on a regular basis. Grooming tender kids is an entirely different proposition," Baan went on. "The sport needs to popularised in the schools. The facilities in the schools seem to be better than other places. Hence, we have engaged a lot of schools for our forthcoming Academies."

Baan insisted on focussing on the Grassroots. "It all needs to start form the Grassroots. Only then will the sport be popularised all over the country."

The two gentleman have a tough task on them to develop young Indian football talent.

India Under-22 trials kicked-off today at Pailan World School

The Indian Under-22 national team trials for the qualifiers of the AFC Under-22 Asian Cup kicked-off at the Pailan World School in Kolkata today. The trials would go on till Thursday, March 8. Out of the 68 boys called-up 62 attended the first day of trials with the others either with Team India or injured.

On the first day, the boys were divided into three teams and played matches of 30-minutes duration against each other with the AIFF Technical Director Rob Baan and Head Coach Youth Development Colm Joseph Toal, both of whom are at Pailan for selection, kept a close watch.

After the training matches Rob Baan said, "It was the first day of the trials and it was promising enough."

Besides Baan and Toal, the Pailan Arrows coaching staff of head coach Sujit Chakraborty, assistant coach Narayana Menon and goalkeeping coach Tanumoy Basu also supervising the trials.

Baan to conduct U-22 selection trials at Pailan World School

The All India Football Federation will be conducting selection trials for the inaugural Under-22 Asian Cup 2013, the qualifiers of which kick-off on June 23, 2012. India have been drawn in a tough Group A along with the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Oman, Turkmenistan and Lebanon.

In total 68 players would be attending the selection trials which would be conducted by AIFF Technical Director Rob Baan and Head Coach of Youth Development Colm Toal.

The trials which would kick-off on March 3 and end on March 8. They would be held at Pailan World School in Kolkata, where AIFF's Developmental Junior Team Pailan Arrows are based. The shortlisted players would be called for a preparatory camp later ahead of the qualifiers.

Players who would be on National Duty for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup won't be able to attend trials.


INDIA U-23 Selection Trialists

Goalkeepers
Soram Poirei Angamba (Shillong Lajong FC), Ishan Debnath (Mumbai FC), Ravi Kumar (Pailan Arrows), Jayanta Paul (East Bengal Club), Sayan Roy (Pailan Arrows), Jagroop Singh (Prayag United SC), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (East Bengal Club)

Defenders
Collin Abranches (Air India), Sonu Beniwal (Pailan Arrows), Sourav Chakraborty (Mohun Bagan AC), Abhishek Das (East Bengal Club), Narayan Das (Tata Football Academy), Deepak Devrani (Pailan Arrows), Jayabrata Dhar (Pailan Arrows), Lalrozama Fanai (Pailan Arrows), Souvik Ghosh (Pailan Arrows), Rollingson Hungyo (Pune FC), Mohammed Irfan Khan (Pailan Arrows), Joy Mrong Kharraswai (Shillong Lajong FC), Pritam Kotal (Pailan Arrows), Vishal Kumar (Pailan Arrows), Joyner Monte Lourenco (Sporting Clube de Goa), Manpreet (Tata Football Academy), Prathmesh Maulingkar (Pailan Arrows), Saikat Saha Roy (East Bengal Club), Akashdeep Singh (Pailan Arrows), Arijeet Singh (Pailan Arrows), Bikramjit Singh (Pailan Arrows), Ravinder Singh (Pailan Arrows), Chingkhei Meetei Yumnam (Pailan Arrows), Ronaldo Zothanzama (Shillong Lajong FC)

Midfielders
Usman Ashik (Chirag United Kerala), Stephen Barreto (Sporting Clube de Goa), Manish Bhargav (Mohun Bagan AC), Rowllin Borges (Sporting Clube de Goa), Souvik Chakraborty (Mohun Bagan AC), Prabir Das (Pailan Arrows), Snehashish Datta (Prayag United SC), Clifton Dias (Salgaocar SC), Romeo Fernandes (Dempo SC), Ganeshan (Pune FC), Pronoy Haldar (Pailan Arrows), S. Siam Hanghal (Pailan Arrows), P. Niroshan Mani (Sporting Clube de Goa), Brian Mascarenhas (Dempo SC), Kshetrimayum Malamnganba Meitei (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), Yaikhom Randhan Meetei (Pailan Arrows), Deepak Prakash (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), Lalrindika Ralte (Churchill Brothers SC), Tirthankar Sarkar (Pailan Arrows), Shahir S. (Chirag United Kerala), Shankar S. (Pailan Arrows), Bikramjit Singh (Sr) (Pailan Arrows), Jonychand Singh (Sesa Football Academy), Ongnam Milan Singh (Pailan Arrows), Sehnaj Singh (Pailan Arrows), Simranjeet Singh (Pailan Arrows)

Forwards
Alwin George (Pailan Arrows), Rajinder Kumar (Pailan Arrows), Vinod Kumar (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), Jeje Lalpekhlua (Pune FC), Malswamfela (Pailan Arrows), Holicharan Narzary (Pailan Arrows), Sumit Passi (Pailan Arrows), Bijendra Rai (Pailan Arrows), Manandeep Singh (Air India), Ningthounjam Pritam Singh (Sporting Clube de Goa), Pankaj Sona (Pailan Arrows)

Toal: Two-month long camp awaits the selected U-14 kids

Colm Joseph Toal, the Head Coach of the AIFF Youth Development, is one of the most underrated persons working in Indian football. Since he has come to India over four years back, he has done his job in Indian football youth development quietly. Now with the four Regional Academies soon to be set-up and the AIFF U-14 Football Fest being used to spot talent for these Academies, it marks a new era in Indian football. The AIFF Spoke to Colm about the U-14 Fest, the selection process and the future of Indian football.


There were nine selectors in the AIFF U-14 Football Fest in Kalyani, West Bengal. How many boys have they spotted?

The nine selectors have had a close look at all the boys and we have spotted 75 boys from different state teams who would be a part of a future Coaching-cum-Selection Camp beginning in March.


How long would the Camp last? Would you have a look at more boys in the Camp?

We intend to begin the Camp from the second week of March. The 75 boys chosen from the Fest would be there for three weeks from which 30 boys would be shortlisted. The shortlisted 30 kids would represent India in the AFC U-14 Football Festival scheduled to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The 30 boys would then be joined by a new bunch. The lot would comprise of boys chosen from the Subroto Cup, the U-16 Nationals (boys born in 1998) and the set of boys chosen by Scott O'Donell from Open Trials. The Camp would go on till mid-May from which the batches for the Regional Academies would be finalised.


Are you satisfied with the quality of the boys you have chosen from the AIFF U-14 Football Fest?

The boys are good but are not necessarily the best in the country. The same pertains to the set of boys who were shortlisted from the U-16 National Championship. It's unfortunate the State Associations are not selecting and sending their best teams for such Championships.


Could you elaborate?

I can give you an example. The Meghalaya State Football Association had a three-week Preparatory Camp ahead of the AIFF U-14 Football Fest. They had 18 district teams playing against each other from where they selected the best boys. And it's evident in their play in Kalyani. Had all State Associations addressed it likewise, we could have got the best boys playing here.


Are you happy with the manner the AIFF U-14 Football Fest has been conducted?

Kalyani is a small suburban town and arranging a fest of such a magnitude without any hiccups speaks volumes for the organisers. We shouldn't forget we had 590 boys from 27 State Teams staying, eating, travelling and playing together.

I wish we had more fields of the same quality in other States as the two playing fields at the Kalyani Stadium. The infrastructure here is magnificent!

Colm Toal: We will be competitive

The India Under-19 boys have been clubbed in a strong group in the AFC Under-19 Championship qualifiers in Tehran, but Head Coach Colm Joseph Toal assures, his boys will be competitive and stay positive against higher-ranked opponents. This is what he had to say...

Expectations are running high back home after the Under-16 squad qualified for the AFC Under-16 Championship finals.

It's nice to get results but we need to remember the Youth Development Programme (YDP) is not all about results. Obviously, the fact that we qualified in 2007 and again in 2011 gives us that extra fillip and tell us that we are marching forward. More than results the YDP is all about producing players who can go onto playing in the I-League and represent the senior India national team. That we have been doing that consistently is satisfying indeed.
The more the boys win, the more confident they become. We need to maintain the right balance!

How has the preparation been for the AFC U-19 Championship qualifiers?

We have been training in Goa where everything is in place. Besides, the Camp in Shanghai (China) was a very significant one for us. We made a lot of progress from where we performed reasonably well against some very tough teams in the Weifang Cup. Prior to landing in Tehran, we were based in Doha for around 12 days. I'd say it came at the right time for us. The facilities were excellent and the practice matches further helped. The AIFF has done everything a Federation can do to help us train in the right manner.

How good is this bunch of Under-19 boys?

They are as good as any other batch. But I don't believe in comparing teams. Batches which produce results don't always come out as better players in the long run. I want them to go and make a mark in the I-League for the Pailan Arrows after the Under-19 qualifiers end. That will define them for sure.

India have been clubbed in a tough Group along with hosts Iran and Uzbekistan. How do you rate our chances?

Our teams work hard and we need to be competitive. I can't guarantee we will win but we will play to win. You need to give yourself a chance against the best and stay positive. It's not for nothing that Iran and Uzbekistan are way ahead of us in the Rankings. Rankings don't only reflect the performance of the Senior Teams – rather, it filters down to the age-groups. And if we look there, you will see they have been doing a better job than us for a longer period of time.

Since you took over the YDP, the face of Indian football is slowly but surely changing. What is the secret of Colm Toal's approach/success?

I have a strong objection to what you say. It's not about an individual; it's about team work. If Indian football is to move ahead, it's essential the Indian coaches do well in the long term. I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by competent individuals who I believe, will change Indian football in the long run. YDP is not just about developing players -- it's important the coaches also get the recognition.

AIFF extends Colm Toal contract

The contract of Englishman Colm Toal has been extended by the All India Football Federation until December 2013. So far Colm has been Technical Director in-charge of youth development with focus on the India Under-16 and U-19s. Now his title will be that of Chief Coach, Youth Development.



Expressing his pleasure about his contract extention Colm Toal said, "It gives me immense pleasure to work with the boys of different age-groups. With so much talent around, it's a big challenge for me."



Colm Toal was in charge of the Indian Under-19 Team at the recently concluded Weifang Cup and he lauded his Under-19 boys for the splendid show in the Weifang Cup. "We finished fourth among eight teams. FC Benfica had 11 Portuguese national team players in their ranks while FC Adelaide had 5 U-19 players who represented Australia in the World Cup," he added. "The FC Shandong team with whom we drew 2-2 also had eight Chinese U-19 Players in their ranks."



Ending about the Weifang Cup Colm said, "It was a good experience for the boys and this will help them immensely in the Under-19 AFC Youth Championship qualifiers."



India have been drawn in Group C along with Uzbekistan, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. The first match will be against Turkmenistan on October 31.