Pakistan begin U16 campaign today

Team to face Afghanistan in SAFF Championship opener.


Our Correspondent July 19, 2013
“Apart from aiming for the title-defense, we are also looking to prepare our team for the Asian Football Confederation U16 Championship qualifiers,” says Pakistan Coach. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: Defending champions Pakistan will open their South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U16 Championship campaign against Afghanistan in Kathmandu today.

Pakistan, the defending champions placed in Group A, are pitted against Afghanistan, hosts Nepal and Bhutan. In Group B, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will contest for a place in the last-four. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.

Pakistan coach Sajjad Mehmood said he was confident the team would win for the second time in a row after they prevailed over archrivals India 2-1 in the first SAFF U16 Championship in 2011.

“We have the ability to win the event again,” Mehmood told The Express Tribune. “Apart from aiming for the title-defense, we are also looking to prepare our team for the Asian Football Confederation U16 Championship qualifiers.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 20th, 2013.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.

COMMENTS (1)

Abdullah malik | 10 years ago | Reply

I want to apply for pakistan u 16 team please help me

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ