Praful Patel wants Chhetri, Bhaichung in committee for U-17 World Cup

Aiming to beef up the technical know-how ahead of the 2017 Under-17 World Cup, AIFF president Praful Patel today suggested the formation of a special committee involving former and current skippers Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri.

In a meeting in New Delhi, the All India Football Federation’s executive committee endorsed Patel’s suggestion to appoint a “special committee to advice the technical structure for the 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup”.

Experienced coach Derrick Pereira’s name has also been recommended to be a part of the panel.

The Cola Cola Cup will form the base for talent scouting for the Indian national team for the mega event in 2017. Boys born on or after January 1, 2000 will be eligible for the Coca Cola championship.

The championship will be played first on a zonal format and AIFF will conduct a seminar with the state associations explaining the philosophy for scouting for the Championship.

The AIFF technical staff would be acting as scouts for selection of the national team for the U-17 World Cup.

An Under-15 league including all U-15 teams from clubs, various academies including AIFF academies was also proposed to identify more talent for 2017 tournament.

The executive committee also approved a budget of Rs 3 crore for the U-23 national team’s preparations for the Incheon Asian Games, which includes an exposure tour abroad.

It was decided that the I-League 2014-15 will kick off in the first week of December 2014, while the Federation Cup is to be held in Jammu and Kashmir in May 2015.

The committee was also informed about the ongoing bidding process to get new teams in the 2014-15 edition of I-League. The committee congratulated recipients of the I-League awards who were voted by captains and coaches of all the participating clubs.

A special mention of Manipur’s triumph in the Senior Women’s National Championship was also made. It congratulated the success of Manipur women and appreciated their 17th triumph in 20 national championships.

PTI