Bangladesh U-19 Football team left for Iraq Sunday morning to take part in the Group C matches of the AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers that will begin Tuesday at the Francouse Al-Hareeri Stadium in the Arbil City of Iraq. Hemanta Vincent Biswas will lead the Bangladesh team in the AFC youth meet while national striker Toklis Ahmed has been made his deputy.In the Group C encounters, Bangladesh will play hosts Iraq on October 8, Kuwait on Oct 10 and Pakistan on Oct 12. On the eve of departure, Bangladesh captain Hemanta Biswas expressed his optimism to achieve good result in the meet, saying they worked hard, have good physical and mental condition, and moreover they are 100 per cent fit ahead of the meet.
Earlier, the Head Coach of Bangladesh Youth team Rene Koster also voiced his high hope about the team and said his boys have the ability to qualify for the final round of the ensuing AFC U-19 Championship. ‘I’ve a lot of faith in my team. This team is good as a team and also as individuals.’
Rene Koster further said: ‘Our goal is to qualify for the next round. In the team, there are many talented players and many of them may make debut in the national team within two years. So, our ultimate target is to gain international exposure.’
Squad: Toklis Ahmed, Abdul Malek, Didarul Alam, Atikur Rahman Farhad, Mohammad Hossain Shujon, Hadisur Rahman, Mohammad Mezbahuddin, Najmul Islam Rasel, SM Monjur Rahman, Mohammad Naeem, Rakibul Islam, Mohammad Salahuddin, Tutul Hossain Badsha, Ahsanul Haque Milon, Nurul Quaiyum Faisal, Rubel Miah, Hemanta Vincent Biswas, Jewel Rana, Faisal Ahmed, Mohammad Mithu and Mohammad Ibrahim.
-With New Age input