Odisha face Meghalaya in under-16 football inter-state championship

The final for the Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy (under-16 category) for the Coca-Cola Cup will culminate tomorrow in what promises to be the most riveting match of the season with Odisha taking on Meghalaya in the finals at Father Agnels School, Vashi in Navi Mumbai.The finalists will be felicitated by two of the biggest sports icons of the country, cricket’s Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Chhetri, captain of the Indian national football team.

Over 41,000 young footballers from 2,610 schools across 86 cities have competed in this edition of the tournament over the last several months across district, state and zonal levels. After several grueling rounds of matches, Meghalaya, Odisha, Goa and Karnataka state teams made it to the semifinals. The tense semi finals saw Meghalaya and Odisha teams emerge as winners, qualifying for the national finals where they will now battle it out for the prestigious title of ‘The Coca-Cola Cup Champion’.

The Coca-Cola Cup will also act as a critical stepping stone for these young footballers with 40 players set to be shortlisted by the All India Football Federation technical committee for the India under-16 squad.

AIFF Technical Director Rob Baan said, “The Coca-Cola Cup has offered the young and budding football players of our nation with a platform to demonstrate as well as hone their skills in the sport. The final match is the culmination of the hard work and dedication been put in by the players over the last several months. We are excited to see who wins the ultimate title of ‘The Coca-Cola Cup Champion’ and are looking forward to picking up pool of talented footballers.”

Deepak Jolly, Vice-President, Public Affairs and Communication, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, said, “The Coca-Cola Cup is reaching its climax now. After playing several rounds, the best two teams have reached the national finals and will be playing for the Winners’ trophy. We are looking forward for an exciting game featuring top young talent from India and are proud to be part of a tournament which is offering such holistic opportunities for these youngsters.”

Organized by the AIFF, The Coca-Cola Cup is a tournament which aims to promote football at the grassroots level and provide a much needed platform for aspiring footballers from across the country. It is open to all young footballers in the age group of 12-15 years.

The players have been provided state-of-the-art training and have been coached by some of the most respected names in the coaching fraternity. The most promising talents will also be picked to be inducted in the Elite AIFF-FIFA Training Academies.