Colts all clear for Kurdistan

Dubai The India Under-19 football team breathed a sigh of relief after the Indian government granted them special permission to play in the AFC Championship qualifiers in Arbil in the northern Iraqi province of Kurdistan. The team had set up base in Dubai for a 10-day camp, unsure about the trip to the war-ravaged country.

The tournament starts today and India have been drawn alongside Afghanistan, Iraq, Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in the Group C qualifiers. The group winners and runners-up will qualify for the AFC Under-19 Championships next year. Two best third-place finishers will also make it to the finals where the semi-finalists will then qualify for the World Cup.

The Indian boys practised at The Sevens and won 4-0 against Al Shaab (U19) in a friendly. Head coach Colm Toal told XPRESS: "The preparation was very good, but what follows now is the actual test. We have been drawn against Iraq, Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and we can only give our best and hope."

Both the head coach and goalkeeper coach Tanumoy Bose voiced their concerns over the standard of officiating they were going to face. "Besides crowd support the other teams will also have a bit of support from the match officials," Bose said, adding the Under-19 team are realistically aiming for that best third-place spot as they try to emulate the senior and the Under-16 sides both of whom had made the final round.