Four under-19 players- Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Rahim Ali and Rahul KP- who represented India in the FIFA under-17 World Cup 2017 have been called by national coach Stephen Constantine for the preparatory camp for the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship.
The four players, who are part of All India Football Federations’ (AIFF) developmental team Indian Arrows, will be reporting to the Camp in Delhi from July 28 onwards, along with 30 others.
Among the others, 29 are current under-23 players with Sumeet Passi being the sole senior player (above 23) named in the list of 34 probable players.
The national coach stressed that it is important to see whether the youngsters are up to the challenge or not.
“We are always looking down to the age groups to see if these players can make the step up the ladder. I have always put a great deal of importance on the youth and have stuck to the same philosophy. This camp is no different. Quite a few youngsters have been provided with a chance to prove their worth,” Constantine said.
“Heading to a tournament with such a young team is going to be a challenge but that’s what we want. We want to find out that particular player who can push the extra bit to achieve the desired result, who can take up the extra responsibility to force himself into the team,” he added.
India, who are the defending champions, have been clubbed in Group B along with Maldives and Sri Lanka. They will their first match of the championship against Sri Lanka on September 6.
The final match is slated to be held on September 15.
