India U-17 team to play a friendly with U-16 Y League champs Minerva Punjab FC
THE INDIAN UNDER 17 national football team was to play Mali twice in the month of April but due to FIFA sanctions Mali's football teams will not be able to play any football games, therefore both matches had to be cancelled.
Mali government dissolved executive committee of FEMAFOOT (Mali football). Fifa said the ban would be lifted only when the FEMAFOOT board and president Boubacar Baba Diarra are reinstated. Not too long after the cancellation, the AIFF did arrange for a practice game within the country and the opponents would also be within the country.
The Under 17 colts would be playing a friendly against Minerva Punjab FC who are two-time Under 16 Youth League champions in a row. The match will be held today in Goa, where the Indian U-17 team are currently practicing under Head coach Luís Norton de Matos.
It was unfortunate that the Mali friendly didn't work out but a practice game with any decent team would get the newly appointed coach sometime to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the team with less than 200 days to before the first FIFA tournament in the country.
