Wikipedia

2023 SAFF U-16 Championship

The 2023 SAFF U-16 Championship was the 8th edition of the SAFF U-16 Championship, an international football competition for men's under-17 national teams organized by South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). Its was played from 2–10 September 2023 in Thimphu, Bhutan.[1][2]

2023 SAFF U-16 Championship
Tournament details
Host countryBhutan
Dates2–10 September 2023
Teams6 (from 1 sub-confederation)
Venue(s)1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions India (5th title)
Runners-up Bangladesh
Tournament statistics
Matches played9
Goals scored27 (3 per match)
Attendance16,475 (1,831 per match)
Top scorer(s)India Md Arbash
(3 goals)
Best player(s)India Md Arbash
Best goalkeeperIndia Suraj Singh
Fair play award Pakistan
← 2022
2024 →

India are the defending champions, who won their fifth title in 2023 by defeating Bangladesh in the final.[3]

Venue edit

All matches were held at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan.[1][2]

Thimphu
Changlimithang Stadium
Capacity: 15,000
 

Teams edit

Sri Lanka are ineligible for participation as they are suspended by FIFA.[4] Other six SAFF teams are eligible to participate.

Team Appearances
in the SAFF U-17 Championship 		Previous best performance
  Bangladesh 8th Winners (2015, 2018)
  Bhutan 6th Fourth place (2017)
  India 8th Winners (2013, 2017, 2019, 2022)
  Maldives 6th Group stage (2011, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)
    Nepal 8th Runners-up (2013, 2017, 2019, 2022)
  Pakistan 4th Winners (2011)

Draw edit

The draw was held in BFF House in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 22 July 2023 at 12:00 BST (UTC+6).[5]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3
  Bhutan (hosts)
  India 		    Nepal
  Maldives 		  Bangladesh
  Pakistan

Draw result edit

Group A Group B
  India   Bhutan
    Nepal   Maldives
  Bangladesh   Pakistan

Match officials edit

Referees
  •   Md. Nasir Uddin
  •   Penjor Ugyen
  •   Kabin Byanjankar
  •   Zaheer Hussain
  •   Senthil N Nathan
Assistant referees
  •   Sunwar Hem Kumar
  •   Madhav Khatri
  •   Bikash Sarker
  •   Raeef Rauf
  •   B. Nagoorkani

Players eligibility edit

Players born on or after 1 January 2007 are eligible to compete in the tournament. Each team has to register a squad of minimum 16 players and maximum 23 players, minimum two of whom must be goalkeepers.

Group stage edit

Key to colours in group tables
Group winners and runners-up advance to the semi-finals
Tiebreakers

Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings.

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
  8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellots, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  9. Drawing of lots.

Group A edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   India 2 2 0 0 2 0 +2 6 Qualified for Knockout stage
2   Bangladesh 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3
3     Nepal 2 0 0 2 0 2 −2 0
Source: GSA
Bangladesh  0–1  India
Report Thoungamba Singh   75'
Attendance: 720
Referee: Penjor Ugyen (Bhutan)
Nepal    0–1  Bangladesh
Report Md Ashikur Rahman   47'
Attendance: 0
Referee: Zaheer Hussain (Maldives)
India  1–0    Nepal
Md. Arbash   33' Report
Attendance: 545
Referee: Zaheer Hussain (Maldives)

Group B edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Pakistan 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 6 Qualified for Knockout stage
2   Maldives 2 1 0 1 3 5 −2 3
3   Bhutan (H) 2 0 0 2 3 5 −2 0
Source: GSA
(H) Hosts
Pakistan  2–1  Bhutan
  • Ubaidullah Khan   17'
  • Subhan Karim   30'
 Report
  • Tandin Phuntsho   13'
Attendance: 4,500
Referee: Md. Nasir Uddin (Bangladesh)
Maldives  0–3  Pakistan
Report
  • Subhan Karim   14'
  • Abdul Samad   39'
  • Ahmed Mifzal   51' (o.g.)
Attendance: 200
Referee: Kabin Byanjankar (Nepal)
Bhutan  2–3  Maldives
  • Sonam Dorji   42', 45+3'
 Report
  • Mohamed Ilan Imran   4'
  • Kingyel Wancchuk Dorji   45+5' (o.g.)
  • Ethan Ibrahim Zaki   71'
Attendance: 5,100
Referee: Senthil N. Nathan (India)

Knockout stage edit

Bracket edit

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
8 September – Thimphu
 
 
  India8
 
10 September – Thimphu
 
  Maldives0
 
  India2
 
8 September – Thimphu
 
  Bangladesh0
 
  Pakistan1
 
 
  Bangladesh2
 

Semi-finals edit

India  8–0  Maldives
  • Vishal Yadav   22'
  • Mohammed Kaif   36'
  • Levis Zangminlun   53'
  • Airborlang Kharthangmaw   62', 82'
  • Manbha Kupar Malngiang   70'
  • Md Arbash   77', 84'
 Report
Attendance: 260
Referee: Kabin Byanjankar (Nepal)
Pakistan  1–2  Bangladesh
  • Abdul Ghani   6'
 Report
  • Md Mursed Ali   14'
  • Md Abu Sayed   29'
Attendance: 450
Referee: Penjor Ugyen (Bhutan)

Final edit

India  2–0  Bangladesh
  • Bharat Lairenjam   9'
  • Levis Zangminlun   74'
 Report
Attendance: 4,700
Referee: Zaheer Hussain (Maldives)

Winner edit

 8th SAFF U-16 Championship 2023 Champions 
 
India
Fifth title

Awards edit

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:

Fair Play Award Goalkeeper Golden Boot Award
  Pakistan[6]   Suraj Singh[6]   Md Arbas[6]

Statistics edit

Goalscorers edit

There were 29 goals scored in 10 matches, for an average of 2.9 goals per match.

3 goals

  •   Md Arbash

2 goals

  •   Subhan Karim
  •   Sonam Dorji
  •   Airborlang Kharthangmaw
  •   Levis Zangminlun

1 goal

  •   Md Ashikur Rahman
  •   Md Mursed Ali
  •   Md Abu Sayed
  •   Bharat Lairenjam
  •   Thougngamba Singh Usham
  •   Vishal Yadav
  •   Md Kaif
  •   Manbha Kupar Malngiang
  •   Tandin Phuntsho
  •   Ubaidullah Khan
  •   Abdul Samad
  •   Abdul Ghani
  •   Mohamed Ilan Imran
  •   Ethan Ibrahim Zaki

1 own goal

  •   Ahmed Mifzal (against Pakistan)
  •   Kingyel Wancchuk Dorji (against Maldives)

Source: GSA

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "SAFF Championship: Groups revealed for U-16, U-19 youth events". Khel Now. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Draw revealed for SAFF U16 and U19 Championships". The AIFF. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  3. ^ "India emerge SAFF U16 champions, make short work of Bangladesh in final". www.the-aiff.com. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Suspension of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) from 21 January 2023 until further notice" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Draw revealed for SAFF U16 and U19 Championships". The AIFF. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "INDIA CROWNED CHAMPIONS OF SAFF U16 CHAMPIONSHIP 2023". www.safederation.org. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
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