Bhutan will host the South Asian Football Federation, SAFF Under-17 Championship at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu. The championship will begin on Friday and will feature seven teams. The participating countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The U-17 Bhutanese players are all from the Bhutan Football Federation, BFF Academy.
They have been preparing for the tournament over the past two months at Changlimithang Stadium.
Ngawang Yonten, the captain of U-17 Bhutanese team said “Our training has been going well. Since all of us stay together, that improved our team bonding. Our objective is to win the SAFF championship. This year, I think even our mentality is different. Last year, we were a bit nervous since it was our first time. However, since this is our second time, we are more confident.”
Yeshi Wangchuk, the head coach said “Last year, we selected players from clubs and that faced inconveniences. This was because they could not attend regular training due to school hours. This year, we selected the players from the academy.”
The academic sessions at the BFF Academy end at around 2 in the afternoon, giving players additional time for training and preparation.
Bhutan will play their first match against Sri Lanka on Saturday at 6 PM.
This year’s SAFF U-17 Championship will be the ninth edition, and the teams will be divided into two groups.
Group A will consist of India, the Maldives, and Bangladesh, while Group B will feature Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Tenzin Loday Gyeltshen
Edited by Tshering Zam
