Thaindian News

Bangkok, July 14 (IANS) Only half of the Indian squad to play in the third Yamaha ASEAN Cup U-13 Football tournament has arrived here but that has not whittled the enthusiasm of the youngsters on the eve of their opening game Friday against Thailand-1.

It has been a rough ride for the Kolkata boys whose hopes of playing in the finals hung in thin air after they faced countless problems in getting their passports at short notice. It was only on Wednesday morning that they were confirmed of their status and after that it was a race to catch the plane in the wee hours of Thursday.

Still only eight out of the 18-member squad could make it while the others will follow barely hours before Friday’s opener. It will be a tough task for the youngsters who are scheduled to play the first match of the day and will have another match if they get past Thailand-1.

Yet there is no crease of worry on their faces, rather a relief, as they have been told that their coach Mrityunjoy Hazra, a former East Bengal player will finally be able to join them Friday.

The Kolkata team had beaten six state teams to represent India in the ASEAN Cup U-13 finals, which will see participation of six teams from five countries including Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia. Hosts Thailand are fielding two teams. It is for the first time that India are competing in the event.

In the coach’s absence, the boys were looked after by a Yamaha official, who tells how the team has been training together for over a month.

The captain for the first match, Premnanda Singha, said they are excited to play an overseas team for the first time and drew confidence from their stupendous performance in the home-leg.

“In the six league matches we played in India, we struck 23 goals and conceded none. We are excited to see how Thailand plays. Now our coach is also coming, so we are happy that things are falling in place,” said Singha, a striker.

“Though we have decided on the final 11 but with our other teammates and coach coming, there are likely to be replacements.”

The side comprising boys from different academies in Kolkata has found a rhythm and feel that they have the camaraderie needed in a team sport.

“Earlier, there used to be a bit of communication problem. But now we have been practising together and are at ease with each other. Our coach has also helped us with a lot of techniques, so we are hopeful of a good showing,” said left-winger Saif Hussain.

The tournament, spanning three days, will have the six teams divided into two groups for the round-robin competition. The top two teams in each group will make the final rounds.

Kaoru Ogura of Yamaha’s Asian marketing and sales division (Motorcycle Business Operations) hoped the tournament will help the budding footballers sharpen their skills while competing with overseas players.

“Cricket is still the most popular sport in India, but now an Indian team is joining us in this football event,” Ogura said.

“We hope this will be a tournament that helps the young players improve their skills by competing against children of the same age from other countries. We also hope that they can build new international friendships in the ASEAN region and that the young people who have played in this tournament may some day represent their countries in big events like Olympics or the World Cup.”

Fumiaki Nagashima, CEO of Thai Yamaha Motors Co. Ltd, said they have taken every care to make the players comfortable.

“We have selected the players accommodation site to be close to the competition and we have decided to use Thailand’s best football stadium which is the home stadium of the Yamaha-sponsored Muangthong United football team,” he said.

“We are confident that the two Thai teams (FC Phuket Assumption Thinburi and Chiangrai United) are ready for the challenge as we have provided them the training with the head coach of Tottenham Hotspur Academy. I am confident that one of the Thai teams will win the championship.”