KATHMANDU, JUL 20 -
The objective of organising SAFF U-16 Championship is finally bearing its fruit with all the participants focusing on playing their best game instead of the putting themselves under pressure of winning the trophy.
Along with host Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are participating in the second edition of the championship which will kick off on Saturday.
The coaches on the eve of the championship said their sole objective was to give their players a learning opportunity. “As it is a youth team and we are not pinning our hopes on the trophy. Instead We are grooming them for the future,” Bangladesh’s Dutch coach Rene Koster said on Friday. “That however does not mean we will not look to win the match.” He added that his aim was to nurture the Bangladeshi youth into the Dutch style.
Nepal’s coach Bal Gopal Maharjan too hopes to produce future stars from his youth team. “We have groomed the boys for the last two years in such a way that they will fill the void of the stars in the national team in future,” Maharjan said. He believes there is both pressure and advantage playing at home ground and he hopes his boys will use the home support positively.
Likewise, power house in South Asia, India too are not putting priority on winning the championship. At the grass root level they are putting their effort on developing the players.
India’s coach Goutam Gosh said they were concentrating on future and taking this tournament only as a good exposure for his boys. “I want my boys to be good enough to play in Europe when they grow up. For that they need exposure which the championship will prove us,” Gosh said.
His plan is to monitor his boy’s performance and find out solution to their weakness.
Sri Lanka’s manager Samna Kotage too said that they were looking forwarding to gain experience in the championship
No comments:
Post a Comment