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GOLF | Page 4 BASEBALL | Page 5 Spieth says Seager nobody can homer lift s dominate Mariners like Tiger past Astros Wednesday, July 19, 2017 FOOTBALL Shawaal 25, 1438 AH Klopp backs GULF TIMES Sturridge to fi re for Liverpool SPORT Page 3 FOOTBALL Confi dent Qatar plot path to AFC U-23 Championship Felix Sanchez’s boys take on Turkmeniistan in qualifying match today at Al SPOTLIGHT Sadd Sports Club, while India take on Syria in the second match Long-term goals By Sahan Bidapa In the previous edition of the Doha championship held in Qatar, the hosts finished fourth, losing to Iraq in ex- the focus for India tra-time in the third place play-off. elix Sanchez looked unper- And some of the players who featured turbed on the eve of the Asian in the 2016 tournament, will also be coach Constantine Under-23 Championship available this time, which will give Fqualifi er yesterday. The Span- Qatar much-needed experience of ish coach has too many things on his big competitions. Asim Madiboo and By Sahan Bidappa plate these days. Besides managing Akram Afif again form the core of the Doha the Under-23 Qatar team, Sanchez has team and Sanchez said their experi- also been the given the task of over- ence would be invaluable. seeing the Qatar national team, albeit “The boys have performed well last tephen Constantine is used to temporarily, after Uruguayan Jorge edition but this is a new tournament the underdog tag. The Indian Fossati resigned abruptly last month. and we’ve to start from the scratch. football national team coach, Sanchez will prepare Qatar for their It’s time for us to execute our plans Spresently in charge of the In- remaining 2018 World Cup qualifiers on the pitch. There are few players dia U-23 team, doesn’t mince words against Syria and China. But before who play in the senior national team. when he says his main focus is to pro- that, the Spaniard has tough task of While for the rest it’s an opportunity duce fi ne talent than qualify for the ensuring his U-23 team qualify for to show they can also represent the AFC U-23 Championship. next year’s AFC U-23 Championship senior team,” Sanchez said. Constantine and his boys are in in China 2018. Turkmenistan are missing few play- Doha for the AFC U-23 Championship With the Group C qualifying ers to injuries but coach Agamyra- qualifi ers, where they will battle with matches to be held in Doha over the dov Ahmet was hopeful the available hosts Qatar, Syria and Turkmenistan next five days, starting from today, squad can spring some surprises in for a place in the main event in China the pressure will be on Sanchez to the tournament. next year. deliver. However, on the tournament “We have three difficult matches. Only group winners will qualify eve, the Spanish coach was calm and We have some players who have not automatically, with the fi ve best run- composed, confident his team can de- travelled because of injuries. But we ners-up across all groups also making liver on the home turf. will try to do well with the players we it through. But Constantine knows “We have been training for the last have,” said Ahmet. what is in front of him and his boys and few weeks for the competition. All the “Qatar has some good players. I says he prefers the ‘long-term goals’ India coach Stephen Constantine. three matches are going to be tough but have some information and know rather than churn out quick results. we are ready in terms of preparation. some of their players. I know Afif is “I’ve been a person who have al- “So if you don’t give importance We want to win all three matches and very a good player but there are others ways preferred to build a team for the to these age groups, then we won’t qualify for the Asian Cup,” said Sanchez too. It will be a good match. They have future. I’m working with this bunch qualify for the major tournaments. in the press conference yesterday. players with good mentality and it will of guys so that a few may come up This time we have assembled the boys Qatar will take on Turkmenistan in be a huge challenge for my side,” add- the ranks and land up with the senior barely three weeks ago. There are their opening match today at Al Sadd ed the Turkmenistan coach. national team in the coming days,” players with whom I have not worked stadium today, followed by India on A lot on his plate: Qatar coach Felix Sanchez said Constantine ahead of his team’s before. So it will be very diffi cult for Friday and Syria on Sunday. Only Schedule Group C opener against Syria today at our players against bigger teams. From group winners will automatically level, said his team had the ability to ready after intense preparations which Today: Al Sadd stadium. this group I expect one or two players qualify for next year’s main event. The win all three matches and take the di- included a few practice matches. India vs Syria at 5pm Unlike in Qatar, where the Un- to come into the national team and five best runners-up across all groups rect route to the qualification. “We have been preparing for these Qatar vs Turkmenistan at 8pm der-23 teams play plenty of matches that will be the objective,” Constan- will also qualify for the finals. How- “The boys are very motivated to games for the last few weeks and we Friday home and away in preparation for the tine added. ever, if hosts China win their group play these matches. A lot of these are looking forward to the qualifiers. Turkmenistan vs Syria at 5pm big tournaments, Constantine only The weather in Qatar has been or are among the best five runners- players played for Qatar in the un- These three games are surely going to India vs Qatar at 8pm had three weeks to assemble the team. extremely hot throughout but that up, the sixth best runner-up will also der-18 and under-16 age groups and be tough, but we’ll try to perform well Sunday A proposed tour to United States was hasn’t bothered Constantine much. qualify. they know what they are going to face. and we’ll try to reach our first objec- India vs Turkmenistan at 5pm cancelled and they had to contend “I don’t think the weather will be a Sanchez, who has been involved And they are looking forward to play- tive which is to qualify for the Asian Qatar vs Syria at 8pm with two friendly matches against problem. It has been hot in India and with U-23 boys for a long time, having ing the first game tomorrow,” he said. Championships. We have to stay very (All matches at Al Sadd Sports Singapore, in which they won one and we are physically ready for the games,’’ coached them at the U-16 and U-18 The Qatar coach said his boys were competitive for that,” said Sanchez. Club) lost another. he stated. Unlike Syria, who appeared at the India have two or three players to 2014 and 2016 U-23 fi nals, India are watch out for in the tournament. One BOTTOMLINE yet to progress further than the quali- such player is forward Lalianzuala fi ers. And Constantine was keeping Changte. The teen sensation from Mi- the expectations to bare minimum. zoram, having trained at Liverpool’s “There will be diffi cult matches for youth academy at Kirkby, made his us over the next fi ve days, but these are mark, when aged 18, he became the the games you want to play. We will second youngest Indian to score in an give everything we have and hopefully international match against Nepal in Spain’s football federation we can get some positive results,” he the SAFF Championship in 2015. said. Changte has already made four ap- The Englishman has been the bed- pearances for the senior side and has rock of Indian football in his two drawn comparisons with the Indian stints. Under Constantine’s tutelage, great Baichung Bhutia. Top scorer in chief held in fraud probe India have risen to 96th spot in the his debut season in the U-19 I-League, FIFA rankings, which is their best in Changte did, though, suff er a set- AFP on allegations of skimming prof- He was reelected unopposed for an the last two decades. back with the national side when they Madrid its from international matches, the eighth term in May despite allegations India were ranked 171 when Con- failed to qualify for the 2016 AFC U-19 source told AFP. of vote-rigging that cast a shadow stantine took over for the second Championship in Qatar. An investigating magistrate from over his win. time in February 2015 but under the However, with football on the rise olice raided the headquarters Spain’s political and fi nancial crimes Following his re-election in May, El 54-year-old there has been meteoric in India – headlined by the upcoming of Spain’s football federation court is leading the probe into allega- Pais newspaper denounced his “des- rise. Still more needs to be done, espe- FIFA U-17 World Cup the nation will yesterday and arrested its tions of “collusion, fraud, embezzle- potic” management and bemoaned cially at the age-group level, says the host in October– a new star to lead the president Angel Maria Villar ment and presumed forgery.” his close ties to FIFA and UEFA leaders Indian senior coach.

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