Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
In a bid to spot talent at the school level, FC Bayern in collaboration with adidas India will host the 6th FC Bayern Youth Cup in six cities of the country commencing from 24th November..
As the tournament kicks with the city legs in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai and Srinagar, the unique tournament spanning over a period of 14-week, will conclude with the finals in February, 2019 at adidas The Base in New Delhi.
FC Bayern Youth Cup India , an under-16, seven-a-side, inter-school football tournament is a dream for any young footballer as it opens a window to experience a professional footballer’s life. The winning team will represent ‘Team India’ in the FC Bayern Youth Cup World Finals and get to train under the professionals, in Munich in May next year.
The selected players also get a chance to watch the season’s last Bundesliga match at the iconic Allianz Arena.
FC Bayern’s legendary player from Munich,Bixente Lizarazu will Delhi for the Finals of the FC Bayern Youth Cup in February , to encourage the participants and give them a glimpse of what’s in store for the winning team. Lizarazu has earned varied accolades during his career which includes six times championing the German league, winning the Champions League 2001, the World Cup 1998 and the European Champion 2000 with France.
“India has surprised everybody with the kind of talent it has produced in football in spite of entering the football scene at a much later stage, considering football isn’t a main league sport in the country. It’s such an honour to monitor the progress of these young teams, impart my learnings to the best possible extent and let me confess, these budding talents amaze me with their skill set.” Bixente Lizarazu was quoted as saying.
Further elaborating on the initiative,adidas India Marketing Director Sean Van Wyk, said, “India has been referred to as, “the sleeping giant of world football” which was reinforced with FIFA U-17 World Cup tournament being held in the country, giving a chance to unveil the vast talent that India holds in the sport.”
“adidas, as the global leader in football, has been a driving force in the development and growth of football in India,e sport. The FC Bayern Youth Cup is one of the key initiatives to promote and nurture grassroots football in India ‘.
“The winning school team from the tournament will represent ‘Team India’ at the World Finals in the Allianz Arena and such a ‘money can’t buy experiences’ will surely spur the school teams to give it their all to create their own history in Munich!.”
The winning team will be flown to Munich by Qatar Airways.