Korou Singh, a promising midfielder, was selected India’s captain for the forthcoming AFC U-17 Asian Cup on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, India’s captain for the next AFC U-17 Asian Cup was announced as promising midfielder Korou Singh. The gifted 16-year-old has recently elevated his status as a key contributor on the pitch. The winger put on a strong performance in the team’s training matches against the junior teams of some of the world’s top clubs, including Atletico de Madrid, Real Madrid, VfB Stuttgart, FC Augsburg, and more, in Spain and Germany after scoring one goal each in the SAFF U-17 Championship and the AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Prior to travelling to Thailand, where he scored one goal and provided another in two training games against local teams, he played in 10 exhibition games in Europe, totaling three goals and five assists.
When appointing Korou as the team’s captain, India head coach Bibiano Fernandes said, “Being the captain of India in a tournament like the AFC U-17 Asian Cup is a big responsibility, and we believe that Korou is quite capable of carrying out such leadership responsibilities.”
The AFC U-17 Asian Cup will begin on June 14, and the India U-17 team, which is already practising at the Khao Yai Sports Complex in Thailand, will depart for Bangkok on June 14 to prepare for their Group D matches against Vietnam (June 17), Uzbekistan (June 20), and Japan (June 23).
Finding the ideal player, who could not only lead the squad on the pitch but also off it, was a priority for Fernandes.
“With this crew, it’s been a journey over the past 18 months. In the SAFF and AFC qualifiers last year, Peka (Vanlalpeka Guite) served as captain, according to Fernandes.
