New Delhi: Mohun Bagan will be first Indian representatives at the Manchester United Premier Cup when the club's Under-15 side takes the field in the biggest tournament at club level starting Tuesday.
The Kolkata outfit will be one of 20 such sides which will take part in the tournament.
Mohun Bagan earned the right to be at the elite U-15 event by winning the qualification tournament for clubs in south-east Asia.
After defeating Indian U-15 rivals such as East Bengal, Tata Football Academy and Mahindra United in March, the Mohun Bagan colts secured qualification by winning the second stage held in Bangkok by defeating strong opponents from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
In the final, they beat Singapore Sports School 2-0 in May to make it to the Manchester tournament.
Mohun Bagan will be one of only five Asian teams which have made it to the world finals -- the other four being Bulleen Lions from Australia, Beijing Sanfang FC from China, Tokyo Verdy from Japan and Ulsan Hyundai FC from Korea.
The tournament in Manchester will feature youth teams from some of the biggest football clubs around the world.
Apart from hosts Manchester United, their great premiership rivals Arsenal, Germany's Hertha Berlin, Italy's Inter Milan, Portugal's Boavista FC, Spain's Athletic Bilbao, Switzerland's FC Basel and Brazil's Sao Paulo FC will be some of the top teams in action.
The teams will be divided in four groups and two from each pool will advance to the quarter-finals.
Comments
0 comment