After spending around two months in rigorous training, the Nepali youth team is upbeat about clinching the title. The matches will be played at the artificial turf of ANFA Complex, Satdobato in Lalitpur.
Team coach Bal Gopal Maharjan, who looked quite confident, said that his side is all prepared for the tournament and is hopeful that the team will end the tournament in a high note.
“We conducted the training for two months at the same ground and now we are ready to play matches and bring out good results,” said coach Maharjan, who added that his team has realistic chances of clinching the title. “Players are tactically, technically and physically sound and we are aiming to clinch the title.”
Host Nepal is in Group A along with Bhutan and Bangladesh, while India, the Maldives and Afghanistan are in Group B. Sri Lanka and Pakistan will not take part in the event.
Nepal will play the inaugural match against Bhutan on Thursday and then the second and last group match on August 20 against Bangladesh.
Nepal has the home advantage of winning the title and the tournament will be a rehearsal for the upcoming AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers scheduled to be held in Iran from October 2-6.
“One of our targets is to prepare for the AFC Championship Qualifiers. This tournament will help us analyze the strengths and weaknesses of our players and help us to select players for the AFC qualifiers,” said coach Maharajan.
Maharjan informed that they did not have adequate time to prepare as the scheduled three-month training was reduced to two months due to the April 25 earthquake and the demise of ANFA Acting President Lalit Krishna Shrestha.
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“However we are all prepared,” he said.
ANFA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Indra Man Tuladhar informed that organizing the tournament successfully will help spread positive messages about our earthquake ravaged country.
Although, ANFA informed Tuesday that all preparations were complete, it will be able to arrange seats only for limited spectators.
“We will be able to arrange seats for only 3,000 spectators as we will sell 2,500 tickets (Rs 200 per person) for open parapet and 500 tickets (Rs 300 per person) for VIP parapet. So we request only few spectators to come to the ground,” said Indra Man Tuladhar, ANFA CEO.
The ANFA had been hosting most of the domestic and international events at the Dasarath Satudium. However, the stadium is under construction since a long time.
The ANFA has estimated the cost of the event to stand around Rs 7.8 million. South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) will provide $50,000.
