How Will India Start Their SAFF U17 Championship Defense Against the Maldives?

Colombo, Sep 15 (NationPress) The India U17 men's team is poised to kick off their SAFF U17 Championship 2025 journey against the Maldives in Group B this Tuesday at the Racecourse International Stadium in Colombo at 15:00 IST.

All seven SAFF nations are participating in this year's tournament. Group A features hosts Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh, while Group B sees the Blue Colts face off against Maldives, Bhutan, and Pakistan. The top two teams from each group will move on to the semi-finals on September 25, with the final scheduled for September 27. India, the defending champions, claimed the SAFF U17 title last year in Bhutan after a 2-0 victory over Bangladesh in the final.

The head coach of the Blue Colts, Bibiano Fernandes, is aiming for his record fifth SAFF title, having recently secured his fourth in May 2025 when he led India to the SAFF U19 championship in Arunachal Pradesh. He also managed the team that won the SAFF U17 Championship in 2022 in Sri Lanka.

Now at the helm of the current U17 squad, which includes players born in 2009 and later, Fernandes commended the team's dedication and hard work during their preparations. “The players have invested nearly two months in Goa with intensive training. We are excited to be in Sri Lanka and appreciate the warm welcome from our hosts,” he stated.

India's squad of 23 players was carefully selected after an extensive scouting process, which involved narrowing down from a pool of 86 players through various trials starting in July. Fernandes elaborated, “We aimed to cast a wide net to ensure depth and opportunities. The last two months have been about building teamwork. We’ve used this period not only for SAFF preparation but also for the upcoming AFC U17 Asian Cup Qualifiers.”

Amid the excitement of defending their title, Fernandes emphasized the importance of staying focused. “We prefer to concentrate on the present rather than dwell on the past. Our sole focus right now is on the first match against Maldives. We will give our utmost and approach each match with determination,” he remarked.

Captain Wangkhem Denny Singh, a midfielder, echoed the sentiments of his coach. “We have worked tirelessly over the past two months in Goa, and we are ready to perform our best here,” the skipper said.

India's opening opponents, Maldives, have arrived in Sri Lanka following a two-week training camp. Their head coach, Sabah Mohamed Ibrahim, acknowledged the challenge ahead. “While our players are technically sound, we lack international exposure and friendly matches,” he noted. Looking towards the matchup against India, he added, “India is the favorite in this group. They have been consistently winning and boast the strongest lineup. Our strategy against them will differ from that against Pakistan or Bhutan. For us, India sets the standard here.”

The Blue Colts will also compete against Bhutan on September 19 and Pakistan on September 22 in the group stage. While the immediate goal is to navigate the SAFF U17 Championship, Fernandes is equally focused on the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, scheduled for November this year in Ahmedabad.

The match will be streamed live on the Sportzworkz YouTube channel.