PANJIM: India will make its maiden appearance in the under-17 Futsal World Cup next month, after being invited by the sport’s governing body, the Association Mundial de Futsal (AMF), to take part.
The competition, among Futsal’s biggest global events, will be held from July 11 to 20 in Paraguay, with India one among a total of 12 countries vying to be crowned U-17 Futsal world champions.
India has been drawn in Zone ‘A’ which pits it against the host nation Paraguay, Catalonia and Kazakhstan. Colombia, Belgium, Brazil and Australia make up the Zone ‘B’, whereas Argentina, Uruguay, Morocco and Curazo conclude the last Zone ‘C’.
Organized by the Futsal Association of India (FAI), the AMF-accredited governing body for Futsal in the country, the U-17 Futsal nationals, selection process to pick the players to represent India at the World Cup is underway in Haryana.
FAI-India team training camp will be held in Mumbai from June 23 to July 5. 16 State teams will be participating in the aforementioned nationals. The players competed in State-level competition followed by selection trials through which top 12 players were selected for respective State teams. The nationals to be held in Haryana will be the final stage of this three phase process for drafting the final FAI –India Team. Ahead of the team’s trip to Paraguay, FAI will appoint an international coach for FAI-India Team and on-board sponsors. The final decision will be taken during the FAI-AGM which will be held on the sidelines of the National Championship in Haryana.
