PANJIM: Shameek Vaz – a product of Dempo SC Academy – is the lone player from Goa who is part of the India U-16 core team that is preparing to participate in the AFC U-16 Championship in Bahrain with India playing its first game against Australia on November 26.
“ Shameek is the only player from Goa in my core team. He was part of the team that qualified when they finished as Group B champions in Uzbekistan. Three more boys have been short-listed and have been called for the camp and none of these are from Goa,”said India U-16 coach Bibiano Fernandes who hails from Saligao.
“Apart from these three boys I do not expect anyone else to join my core team which starts practice in Goa from the end of July. These three boys were spotted during the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Youth League in January,” disclosed Bibiano who has been in charge of this U-16 set up since the 2014-2015 season.
“I have trained around 100 to 110 boys since I was appointed coach and there were six boys from Goa who were part of this group. The boys who come in July will first be quarantined for fifteen days and the camp will start thereafter,” said Bibiano whilst explaining the next steps forward.
The semifinalists of the tournament qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup and if India does so, it will be the first time that India will qualify on merit. India participated in the 2017 FIFA World Cup by virtue of being host.
“My confidence stems from the manner in which the boys qualified from Uzbekistan. In the game against Uzbekistan we were leading by a goal. The mindset shown by the boys showed the progress we are making and the performances in prior tournaments cannot also be forgotten,” reasoned Bibiano as he explained , the core from which his confidence of India’s qualification for the U-17 World Cup finals stems.
India played in Group B in Uzbekistan – finishing as champions against hosts Uzbekistan, Bahrain and Turkmenistan. India finished with seven points from three matches scoring eleven goals and conceding only one.
“With COVID-19 around, international exposure will be limited before the start of the tournament but the AIFF is trying to get the team to participate in a tournament in Croatia and Turkey. If we do not manage, I have already chalked out plans to get certain teams from the Goa Professional League to play matches with the boys, “said Bibiano whilst disclosing plans of how he intends to get the boys back into the rhythm of competitive football.
“International exposure would benefit but the health crisis is affecting all teams. We have to do our best within the circumstances we are in and my confidence comes from the character shown by the boys in the past,” said Bibiano whose international record with the India team is: eighteen wins; seven draws; and three losses.
India is in Group C of the AFC U-16 Championship in Bahrain along with Australia, Korea Republic and Uzbekistan. Two teams from each group qualify for the next round. Bibiano has been for two years with this same core group and is not weary of the opponents because he has seen his wards progress in terms of “being able to score more and concede less,” in this time.
