SAFF U19 Is A Good Platform To Prepare For AFC U20

Bibiano Fernandes, one of the most successful coaches in Indian men's youth teams' history, having qualified the Blue Colts to three successive AFC U16/17 Asian Cups from 2018 to 2023, is now set to begin a new cycle with a new batch of players.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

Bibiano Fernandes, one of the most successful coaches in Indian men's youth teams' history, having qualified the Blue Colts to three successive AFC U16/17 Asian Cups from 2018 to 2023, is now set to begin a new cycle with a new batch of players. It all starts with the SAFF U19 Championship that will kick off on 9 May in Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh.

Fernandes has a 100 percent record at SAFF age-group championships, winning all three tournaments he has led India in (U15 in 2017 and 2019, and U17 in 2022). The 48-year-old now not only targets his fourth but also looks forward to nurturing a strong squad for next year's AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers. "We all know that the AFC (U20) Qualifiers are the main target, and I've been talking to the boys and trying to raise the bar. We need to do a lot of work with these boys to prepare them for next year. For sure, there will be more of them coming into the camp. This SAFF is a good platform to start preparing for it," said Fernandes.