Stadium entry free for Asia U-16 football meet

The Local Organising Committee for the 17th edition of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-16 Championship on Saturday announced free match viewing for all fans in Goa.

The flagship event is scheduled to begin from 15th September with 16 teams from the continent vying to win the title.

The Championship will be played at Goa's Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (Fatorda) and GMC Stadium will be made open for everyone and all the fans have to do is register online on http://preprod.get2thegames.com/ and collect the tickets a day prior from the counters at the stadiums.

Describing what should be one of the biggest events in the history of Indian football, Javier Ceppi, Tournament Director for the LOC said: "I believe Goans would really enjoy the biggest international football tournament in the country till date. This tournment will provide an amazing opportunity for football fans in the country to witness top class international level football at their doorstep.

"The important aspect attached to this tournament is that these matches are also the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 Qualifiers for Asia, so the teams would be playing for something very important and that will definitely be reflected on the field."

Hosts India who have been clubbed with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iran will play their group matches on September 15, 18 and 21 respectively.

Coach Nicolai Adam who has been working tirelessly with his players for the tournament was optimistic about his team's chances.

""The exposure tour to Germany and Norway went really well as it helped the entire team to reach a competitive level," Adam said.

"It will be very difficult for any team playing in the AFC U-16 Finals to beat us."

--IANS

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