Thursday Sep 18, 2025
Thursday Sep 18, 2025
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The participating team Captains flanked by their Coaches amidst the coveted championship Cup
By Althaf Nawaz
Team Sri Lanka will lock horns with Nepal in the curtain raiser of the SAFF U-17 Soccer Tournament, which will be played from today till 27 September at the picturesque Racecourse Stadium.
Today’s kick-off is scheduled at 7 p.m. under lights.After hosting this tournament in 2022 in Colombo, Football Sri Lanka (FSL) were given the nod to host this year’s tournament, where seven strong teams from this region will vie for honours. With host Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal are slated in Group ‘A,’ while India, Pakistan, Bhutan, and the Maldives are placed in Group ‘B.’
Isham Mohamed, one of the prominent midfield players, will lead the Sri Lankan team, which possesses a highly talented side. The unique feature of this year’s squad is that the team comprises a mixture of players who were selected from throughout the country after several trials.
Head Coach M.F. Rahman, a former Zahira Colombo and Ratnam SC player, who later donned the national jersey, was pretty confident of his squad. He rated it as a well-balanced side and is optimistic that his boys are capable of matching any team in the tournament.
“We have a well-balanced side who are capable of matching any team in this competition. We worked hard in the last two months and had the opportunity of playing around eight practice matches. We worked on our shortfalls and hope to give our best for the country,” said Rahman.
When inquired about the preparation for today’s game, he said: “We take all games seriously and the boys are very focused and will go flat out to win this game. All teams in this tournament are highly skilled, and we too are eager to win our group matches first.”
The top two teams of each group will qualify for the semi-final, which is scheduled to be played on 25 September, while the grand finale will be played on 27 September from 6:30 p.m.
This tournament, which is funded by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and conducted through the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF), will no doubt be a great boost for the country’s economy, where more people are likely to arrive to witness this tourney.
Local football boss Jaswar Umar, who was instrumental in getting the hosting rights for Sri Lanka, was happy and honoured to host this event here. “It is a great honour to host an event of this nature. This not only enables to boost the game in the country but also bring significant benefits to the country in the aspects of the tourism, economy, and also sports industries, respectively,” said Jaswar.
He was also of the view that this age group will enable the players to gain much needed exposure and to knock on the doors of the senior national teams. “We want these young boys to get international exposure and to transform them into experienced players. Then, they will have the opportunity to be selected for senior teams and represent the country one day. So, we are optimistic that these young boys make this an ideal opportunity to achieve this dream,” added Jaswar.
Entrance will be free of charge and the organisers expect schoolboys and other football-loving public to come and support our team.
