Goa youth failed to match expectations for U-17 World Cup: Churchill coach

Churchill Brothers head coach Alfred Fernandes on Tuesday claimed Goa has immense football talents but they probably failed to match the expectations to represent India in the just-concluded FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The final 21-man India squad that represented India in the U-17 World Cup did not contain a single player from the football crazy state of Goa.

"We (Goa) have a lot of available talent," Fernandes told IANS, adding: "So either they were not up to the expectations or maybe the scouting, it can be the other way around also."

"But maybe, they did not find the spark, which they were looking out for. So hopefully in future (they will be in contention for national programmes)," Fernandes added.

The 51-year-old, who is helming the Goa outfit since January 8 said it will bank more on the local players than international players in the upcoming I-League.

"We have good bunch of local players because the cream of the players from the last year have moved on to the ISL franchises or some other clubs," he said.

"So, this year was a challenge because we had to redo the team again, workout on strategies. There are five foreigners allowed to play in the I-League so it has to be a mixture of both.

"Because with five foreign players and if your local talent is not up to the level, there is no guarantee you will succeed," Fernandes added.

--IANS

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