Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Having concluded a training camp in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Oman will now move up a gear in their preparation for the 2018 AFC Under-16 Championship Malaysia.
Head coach Yaqoob al Sabahi's squad played two friendlies against Iran during their training camp, suffering 1-0 and 2-1 defeats.
Sabahi used the friendlies to gauge his players in preparation for their Group B challenge against Yemen, DPR Korea and Jordan.
Oman, who were champions in 1996, will have a training stint in Malaysia before the tournament kicks off, which will include friendlies against Indonesia (September 12) and Australia (September 15), after which Sabahi is expected to finalise the squad.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Surabaya: Goalkeeper Ernando Ari Sutaryadi was the hero for Indonesia where his two saves in the penalty shootout gave the hosts a 4-3 win for them to lift the AFF Under-16 Championship crown for the first time on Saturday.
The score at the end of regulation time was 1-1.
With so much at stake, the final was not exactly and explosive free flowing affair with both teams largely playing it safe.
Mochammad Supriadi was the first to test Thai keeper Anuchid Taweesri early in the encounter with the prolific Amiruddin Bagus Kahfi Alfikri’s first real chance coming off the upright.
As Anuchid made a string of saves, he could not deny Indonesia the lead on 33 minutes when a miscommunication with his defenders allowed substitute Muhammad Fajar Fathur Rachman to sneak in to latch on to a cross from Andre Oktaviansyah.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Sydney: Australia’s best young footballers are being brought together in Sydney over the next week with new Joeys head coach Trevor Morgan to prepare for the 2018 AFC U-16 Championship in Malaysia.
From today (Friday), 28 of Australia’s brightest young footballers will gather at the Sydney Academy of Sport at Narrabeen to impress Morgan and his staff throughout what will be the first of two camps held in Australia prior to the tournament proper in September and October this year.
The 28 players selected by Morgan arrive in camp after an extensive period of scouting. During April and May this year, Morgan, alongside Joeys Team Manager, Marty Judge, ventured around Australia and conducted ‘Joeys Talent ID Camps’ in conjunction with Member Federations. Each ‘Joeys Talent ID Camp’ featured between 25 and 30 talented players identified by the host Member Federation.
20 players are aligned with Hyundai A-League club academies. A further six players feature at National Premier Leagues (NPL) level across Australia, while two players – Aydan Hammond and Emmanuel Pavlis – are contracted to clubs in Europe.
Australia qualified for the AFC U-16 Championship Malaysia 2018 after topping Group I of the Qualifiers in Mongolia last September. The Joeys finished ahead of Vietnam, Cambodia and Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar.
In April the Joeys were drawn in a challenging Group D for Malaysia 2018. Australia will need to finish first or second in a group containing defending champions Iraq, Korea Republic, and Afghanistan, to advance to the knockout phase of the competition.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: AFC U-16 Championship 2018 hosts Malaysia and Asia’s 15 best teams learnt their opponents on Thursday.
The draw, conducted at the AFC House, saw Malaysia, quarter-finalists in 2014, drawn in Group A with two-time champions Japan, 1998 winners Thailand and Tajikistan.
Group B has two-time champions DPR Korea with Oman, winners in 1996 and 2000, Yemen and Jordan.
Islamic Republic of Iran, the 2016 runners-up, will continue their pursuit of a first title, having drawn Vietnam, India and Indonesia in Group C.
Defending champions Iraq will look to make history by being the first team to win back-to-back titles as they face Australia, Korea Republic - who won the Championship in 1986 and 2002 - and tournament debutants Afghanistan in Group D.
Asian Football Confederation General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John emphasised the importance of the tournament in developing young players, saying: “The AFC U-16 Championship has a long and proud history, and the last edition in India was not only a huge success on the field, but it is also regarded as a defining moment for football and youth development in the country.
“The 16 best teams will compete for the title in September, and the added bonus is that the top four teams will represent Asia in the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2019, which will be held in Peru.
“The AFC U-16 Championship represents the foundation of the AFC’s vision and mission, which sets the objective to provide support for our teams and allow them to succeed on the world stage.
“I want to thank this year’s hosts, the Football Association of Malaysia, and I am sure we will witness a memorable Championship.”
The AFC U-16 Championship Malaysia is on September 20 - October 7.