FIFA U-17 World Cup, India matches: Timings, squad, venue, live telecast and more
DECCAN CHRONICLE
4th October 2017
(Note: This will be the first time India will be hosting a full-fledged FIFA World Cup football tournament. For Indian football and football fans, this is huge and has all the ingredients to bring about a metamorphosis in Indian Football. This event is certain to give a big boost to Indian football and attract sponsors who mostly back cricket which is played by just a handful of 10-12 countries.
Most players of this present squad are from the North-east and are from very humble background. A tailor’s son from Sikkim, a carpenter’s son from Manipur and a youngster whose mother is a street vendor in Bengaluru — the Indian team for the FIFA U-17 World Cup is a fascinating blend of underdogs from different parts of the country. Komal Thatal, a sprightly 17-year-old boy from Sikkim, did not have the means to buy a football and he had to play with a ball made of rags or plastic in his childhood. Thatal wears the No.10 jersey. A similar struggle was endured by Amarjit Singh Kiyam, a Manipuri boy who is likely to captain the side in the U-17 World Cup. Amarjit’s father — Chandramani Singh Kiyam – is a farmer and carpenter rolled into one at Thoubal, a small town in Manipur. His mother Ashangbi Devi sells fish everyday at the state capital in Imphal, which is about 25 km from her home. Midfielder Khumanthem Ningthoinganba’s mother also sells fish in Imphal while Kolkata boy Jitendra Singh’s father is a watchman and mother a tailor.
Here’s all you need to know about India national under-17 football team’s matches in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Let us all join together and cheer our team to rise to greater heights. Isaac Gomes, Associate Editor, Church Citizens' Voice).
Mumbai: India is all set to witness the footballing extravaganza as FIFA U-17 World Cup is set to kickoff on October 6. While India boasts a tremendous fan following for the top-league European football leagues, this will be the first time when India will be hosting football tournament of such magnitude.
The Indian football team will make its debut at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.(AIFF)
The other Asian countries to host the championship are China hosted it in 1985, Japan in 1993, South Korea in 2007 and the United Arab Emirates in 2013.
Here's all you need to know about the Indian team's matches.
Tournament format:
The teams have been divided into six groups. Top two teams from each group and four best third-placed teams qualify for the Round of 16, followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place playoff and the final.
India U-17 squad:
Goalkeepers: Dheeraj Singh, Prabhsukhan Gill, Sunny Dhaliwal
Defenders: Boris Singh, Jitendra Singh, Anwar Ali, Sanjeev Stalin, Hendry Antonay, Namit Deshpande
Midfielders: Suresh Singh, Ninthoinganba Meetei, Amarjit Singh Kiyam (captain), Abhijit Sarkar, Komal Thatal, Lalengmawia, Jeakson Singh, Nongdamba Naorem, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Md. Shahjahan
Forwards: Rahim Ali, Aniket Jadhav
Schedule:
Group A Fixtures
October 6 Colombia vs Ghana 17:00 IST
October 6 India vs United States 20:00 IST
October 9 Ghana vs United States 17:00 IST
October 9 India vs Colombia 20:00 IST
October 12 Ghana vs India 20:00 IST
October 12 United States vs Colombia 20:00 IST
Round of 16:
October 16 Runner-up Group A vs Runner-up Group C 17:00 IST
October 16 Winner Group B vs Third Place Group A / C / D 20:00 IST
October 17 Winner Group C vs Third Place Group A / B / F 17:00 IST
October 17 Winner Group E vs Runner-up Group D 17:00 IST
October 17 Winner Group F vs Runner-up Group E 20:00 IST
October 17 Runner-up Group B vs Runner-up Group F 20:00 IST
October 18 Winner Group A vs Third Place Group C / D / E 17:00 IST
October 18 Winner Group D vs Third Place Group B / E / F 20:00 IST
Quarter-finals:
October 21 Winner Match 43 vs Winner Match 42 17:00 IST
October 21 Winner Match 38 vs Winner Match 41 20:00 IST
October 22 Winner Match 40 vs Winner Match 39 17:00 IST
October 22 Winner Match 37 vs Winner Match 44 20:00 IST
Semi-finals:
October 25 Winner Match 46 vs Winner Match 45 17:00 IST
October 25 Winner Match 48 vs Winner Match 47 20:00 IST
Third-place play-off:
October 28 Loser Match 49 vs Loser Match 50 17:00 IST
Final:
October 28 Winner Match 49 vs Winner Match 50 20:00 IST
Venues:
The tournament will be hosted across six cities. India will be playing all their Group A matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi.
The other matches of the tournament will be played at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, DY Patil Navi Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Goa, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Kochi and Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium Guwahati.
Telecast of the matches:
English: SONY TEN 2, SONY TEN 2 HD, SONY ESPN & SONY ESPN HD channels.
Hindi & Bengali: SONY TEN 3 & SONY TEN 3 HD.
Live streaming: The football fans can witness the live stream of the matches on the SonyLIV App and website..