SAFF U-17 Championship 2022 will kick start today in Sri Lanka

September 5, 2022 Hishan Welmilla FOOTBALL, NATIONAL 0

SAFF U-17 Championship 2022 will kick start today at the Racecourse International Stadium in Colombo today.

Sri Lanka will take on Bangladesh as their first opponents today and local boys are ready to start the event with a victory.

The India U-17 boys will also be looking to kick start their campaign on a positive note, as they face Bhutan in their first match of the the first match of the tournament  (previously the U-16snow known as the AFC U-17 Asian Cup)

This is the first time Sri Lanka is hosting a SAFF tournament since the 2012 SAFF Women’s Championship.

‘This is a testament in the current President of Sri Lanka Football, Jaswar Umar’s vision to develop the age groups and give the players the platform to excel in home conditions in front of their beloved fans’ Sri Lanka Football said in their media release.

Apart from Sri Lanka – India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Maldives will take part in this year’s tournament. In the last edition (2019) hosts India defeated Nepal to become champions while Sri Lanka finished 4th.

History’

It started as a U-16 competition, but was later changed to a U-15 tournament in 2017. This year, it will take place as a U-17 championship. The first edition of the tourney was played in Nepal in 2011 where Pakistan defeated India 2-1 in the final.

The First edition’s runners-up India are the most successful team in the tournament. The Blue colts have lifted the trophy three times and have finished as runners-up twice. Moreover, India are also the defending champions of the competition. They defeated Nepal 7-0 in the final of the 2019 edition on their home soil.

This year six nations will be participating in the tournament. Teams have been divided into two groups of three each. The opening day, September 5, will witness the defending champions play their first game against neighbours Bhutan. Hosts Sri Lanka will go up against two-time champions Bangladesh on the same day.

Players born on or after 1 January, 2006, are eligible to compete in the event. Each team has to register a squad of minimum 16 players and maximum 23 players, minimum two of whom must be goalkeepers.

Fixtures

September 5

Group A: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka – 8:00 pm

Group B: Bhutan vs India – 3:30 pm

September 7

Group A: Maldives vs Bangladesh – 3:30 pm

Group B: Nepal vs Bhutan – 8:00 pm

September 9

Group A: Sri Lanka vs Maldives – 8:00 pm

Group B: India vs Nepal – 3:30 pm

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