The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 is less than a week away. And India prepares to stage the biggest footballing tournament to ever grace the subcontinent. It will stretch across six cities – Delhi, Guwahati, Goa, Kochi, Kolkata and Navi Mumbai. But before football fever starts to spread like wildfire, let’s take a quick look into India’s campaign run.
Given an automatic qualification as hosts, India will make their debut in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. They will look to embrace the opportunity and make a mark. Former Azerbaijan U-19 coach Nicolai Adam had been appointed in early 2015 to help groom and guide the Blue Colts (Indian team) in the lead-up to the World Cup. There were some good early signs as the team managed to churn out some good results under the watchful eye of the German.
But things started to fall apart last year. The team lost all three tournaments at home. They ran through the AIFF Youth Cup without winning a single game. Then performed poorly at the AFC U-16 Championships, BRICS Cup and the Granatkin Memorial Tournament held in Russia, where they finished in a dismal (16th) last position. That proved to be the final straw. After a discussion with AIFF President Praful Patel, Adam stepped down as coach. But with defeat, comes change. With less than nine months to go for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017, enter former Portuguese forward Luis Norton de Matos as coach.
The Indian squad recently got some good exposure tournaments in Europe followed by a Four-Nation tournament in Mexico. After registering a few good results in their away matches, the colts will now look to play to their potential on home soil. Maintaining a more realistic approach, Norton admits that the Indian team is vastly inexperienced as compared to other sides in the World Cup. And while we will have to undoubtedly work hard for our wins, the intent remains to make a positive impact and play on the same page as the opposition. Every game will stage an experience we will have to learn from. India squares off against the US in the inaugural match on 6th October 2017, followed by league matches against Ghana and Colombia in Group A.
We wish the Indian colts the very best!
– Varun Kumar | SpreadSports
