AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: With the India U-16 boys currently preparing for their next international exposure as part of their preparation for the forthcoming AFC U-16 Finals in September 2018, Indian U-16 National Team Head Coach Bibiano Fernandes feels the boys are a “much confident lot” after their Qatar sojourn.

The AFC U-16 Championship 2018 will have 16 teams in the fray, the contenders will be divided into groups of four with the top two from each group qualifying for the quarter-finals.

“The exposure trip to Doha was of immense help. We got to play the Aspire Academy which is basically the Qatar U-16 National Team. We had beaten them earlier and did the same twice this time around,” Bibiano stated.

Keen to sustain the momentum in Indian Football, All India Football Federation in coordination with the Sports Authority of India has planned a series of exposure tours to help the U-16 boys prepare best for the U-16 Finals.

“We are aware that a berth in the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2019 will be up for grabs. That’s the aim but we can’t think too much about it at the moment. The exposure tours will surely help us immensely,” he quipped.

The team will now leave for Hong Kong on March 21 as the next chapter of their exposure tours.