Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation has published its Technical Report on the AFC U-16 Championship which was held in Goa, India from September 15 to October 2, 2016.
Part of the AFC’s Vision and Mission is to deliver top-level competitions and successful Asian teams. This technical report aims to provide important information to coaches from both the competing and non-competing teams.
The report captures the developing trends in Under-16 football as witnessed during the Championship which was won by Iraq who defeated the Islamic Republic of Iran on penalties in the final at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda.
It was the first title at this level for Iraq - who also provided the tournament’s leading goalscorer and Most Valuable Player, Mohammed Dawood - and a tournament at which the 16 teams scored 109 goals in 31 matches – a healthy average of more than 3.5 goals a game.
The AFC’s Technical Study Group (TSG), under the direction of AFC Technical Director Andy Roxburgh, noted that there were some extremely positive trends in the competition particularly in the area of formation transition.
The TSG noted that there was a high reward for many teams for their training ground efforts with ‘coaches working hard on player development.’
The report also focuses on the pressing game, counter-attacking and on the difference in the build-up play between champions Iraq, who favoured long diagonal passes to the tournament’s leading scorer Dawood, and the more patient approach favoured by teams such as Korea Republic, Oman, Islamic Republic of Iran and particularly Japan.
Encouragingly, the TSG noted that the ‘level of technique among young players was on an upward curve’ as was ‘the mental preparation for high intensity matches played on the international stage.’
The tournament also provided the host nation India and the All India Football Federation with some important learnings ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup which they will host in 2017. Asia will be represented by the hosts as well as Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, DPR Korea and Japan.
Click here for the full AFC U-16 Championship India 2016 Technical Report.