Latest news with #BibianoFernandes
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
India must aim to qualify regularly for FIFA U-17 World Cup: Bibiano
Bibiano Fernandes will turn his focus to the U-17 national team ahead of the SAFF U-17 Championship and AFC Asian Cup qualifiers to be held in November Panaji: Bibiano Fernandes' record with India's junior teams has been impressive. It was during his time at the helm that India were one win away from making it to the FIFA U-17 World Cup, losing a close game against Asian giants South Korea. At regional championships, India have been in a league of their own. By winning the SAFF U-19 Championship on penalties against Bangladesh on Sunday, India have shown that they are the best in South Asia. But, with Bibiano as coach, that's hardly the target. It's much bigger, like making it to the age-group World Cup on sporting merit. 'We can achieve this dream (of playing in the World Cup),' Bibiano told TOI in a recent interview. 'I was on the sidelines when the U-17 team played against South Korea and we were one match away from qualifying for the U-17 World Cup (in 2018). The youth set up is getting better. There are many games. RDFL has also helped a lot. But we still need to do more. If we start doing it right now, we will knock on the doors of the U-17 World Cup soon,' said Bibiano. These are not just words. This is a dream. Bibiano returned to the national team after cutting short his stint at Bengaluru FC. The 48-year-old had only two months to prepare for the SAFF tournament as he joined the Indian junior coaching set up. 'Frist, I thought it would be difficult because time was very short. But I saw the talent we have and was happy with their level,' said Bibiano. 'Most of the players are with ISL teams and training with their seniors. That has helped gain this level and it in turn helped us a lot. To be honest, I did not expect that they would play so well,' he added. The fans too played a crucial role as they turned out in large numbers at the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia, Arunachal Pradesh. The team will now begin their preparations for the AFC U-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers, to be held next year. Until then, Bibiano will turn his focus to the U-17 national team ahead of the SAFF U-17 Championship and AFC Asian Cup qualifiers to be held in November. India made their debut at the U-17 World Cup in 2017 at home but has missed out on qualification ever since. The following year, with Bibiano in charge, they came close to progress on sporting merit after a narrow 0-1 defeat at the hands of heavyweights South Korea in the AFC U-16 quarterfinals in Kuala Lumpur. Bibiano now wants to complete unfinished business. 'We were close,' he remembered. While the India men's senior team has dropped to 127 in the latest FIFA rankings, it has shown that investing in grassroots is the country's best bet of making it to the global stage. 'We can aim for the U-20 World Cup and gradually the senior team can dream. (For that to happen) We must target the U-17 World Cup every edition and be consistent. Hopefully, in six to seven years, we will qualify regularly,' said Bibiano.
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Allow young footballers to make mistakes and play with freedom, says India's U-19 team coach Bibiano Fernandes
Bibiano Fernandes, the highly rated head coach of India's U-19 football team, which won the SAFF Championship a few days ago, has said the team surpassed his expectations with the quality of play exhibited. The new crop of talent should continue to work hard and persevere to ensure future success and not rest on current laurels, the 48-year-old coach said in an interview, while also explaining his coaching philosophy. Excerpts: We have scouts all over the country watching the various competitions and giving me feedback. They send me videos and reports from time to time. The Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) was one competition that gave us a lot of inputs about the boys. In this way, we were able to get information of the available talent across the country and once we identified them it was a matter of getting them to play within a particular philosophy. They speak different languages but football speaks a global language. Yes. We had some very good preparation in the lead up to the SAFF Championships with matches against some of the Santhosh Trophy state sides and had a good idea of the level they could reach. Yet, the boys surprised me. They were able to take their game up to a higher standard in the competition. I gave them all the freedom to express themselves and they did. The crowd support in Arunachal Pradesh also played a big role. I tend to agree. In Europe, the kids play a vastly higher number of competitive matches than here. They play a series of tournaments throughout the season and hence their game awareness is superior. In India we have to ensure that we have many more tournaments and competitions in schools and at the academy level. I do believe playing matches/tournaments regularly help you to improve substantially. Also, let's have under-13/14/15/16/17 tournaments (in every age group) instead of the current systems of having u-13, u-15, u-17 ones. This way we can develop talent better. I would like to approach that question from a broader perspective. In my team, the goals from all parts of the field – be it wingers, attacking midfielders or from the defensive midfielder too. Danny Meitei, who is my attacking midfielder and playmaker, scored the most number of goals for us. I gave him all the freedom to go up and score. I encourage that kind of play so that I don't have to just depend on the striker for the goals. In the senior Indian squad, we have Manvir, Chhangte and of course Chhetri. All the offensive-minded players should be able to score goals, and not just the no.9. Continue to work hard and persevere. Patience is very important. Wait for your chance, and the opportunities will arrive as long as you are working hard. During training sessions, it's easy to see who's giving 100% and who's not. You cannot give 99% and expect a call-up. Work hard every day and be patient. My training regimen is match-related. We train for only match-related situations. Everything is primed toward that. It's about the ball, opponent and the goal. In a way, it's about understanding football. The players have to be aware of their roles and responsibilities. Please allow them to make mistakes. That's how they grow. Some coaches don't allow players to play freely. I want players to express their skills and not hide them. As long as there's a positive team-related intent from the player, I don't have any problems in players making errors while trying to express themselves. As a coach I'm ready to unlearn, so that I can absorb new things. Above all, keep things as simple as possible. Okay. Let me elaborate. Do you get fit and play football or do you play football and get fit? To me, the best way to get fit is by playing football. Similarly, do you train one aspect the whole day or do you mix it up? I don't train one aspect the whole day. For example, I don't do transition training the entire day. I try many elements in a day, so that we can simulate match situations. In the north-east, the boys get to play regularly in tournaments. There are many competitions and the passion for the game is high. It will be great if all states start doing that so that we can produce more talent. I'm sure the states that you mentioned have their own plans.
India Gazette
20-05-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Bibiano Fernandes dedicates SAFF U19 victory to Arunachal fans
Yupia (Arunachal Pradesh) [India] May 20 (ANI): After two months of toil, it all boiled down to the penalty shootout. However, the calm demeanour with which the India U19 men's national team conducted themselves during the most nerve-wracking moment of the SAFF U19 Championship final against Bangladesh brought out the character that the boys have, according to the official website of the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Head coach Bibiano Fernandes was all praised for his boys after they were crowned the SAFF U19 champions at the Golden Jubilee Stadium on Sunday, May 18, 2025. 'We knew it would not be an easy final by any stretch of imagination,' said Fernandes at the post-match press conference. 'Bangladesh showed their mettle as well, coming back from a goal down. But our boys exhibited tremendous character to keep fighting for the 90 minutes and beyond,' Bibiano Fernandes said 'We must also appreciate how Bangladesh fought back. I think they showed how good a side they are. It was an entertaining game, and at the end, we're happy that we came out as champions,' said Fernandes, who claimed his fourth junior SAFF title on Sunday night.' While the final boiled down to a nail-biting penalty shootout, Fernandes was quietly confident in the Blue Colts' abilities. 'I was always positive for the penalties because I have full faith in my players. I knew that our goalkeeper Suraj (Singh Aheibam) is good at saving penalties. He's been amazing at the training sessions, when we practiced spot-kicks. We knew he would make us proud,' said Fernandes. 'The job for the rest of the boys was to put the ball in the net.' While the India U19S showed quiet confidence in tense situations, their 48-year-old coach attributed much of the mentality to the support from the stands. 'Arunachal Pradesh was amazing for us. I've never seen so many fans turn up for a junior game anywhere in India. We will certainly remember this for the rest of our lives,' he said. 'The crowd was amazing, and the boys enjoyed playing in front of them.' 'I would like to dedicate this victory to the fans in Arunachal Pradesh, they were truly amazing. They pushed us and supported us all the way. They made us play the way we did. I'm sure this will motivate more youngsters to dream of playing for the national team one day, and we will have more players like Omang (Dodum) come through,' he said. The Blue Colts will now regroup and begin their preparations for the AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers, to be held next year. 'India has ample talent. If we do good development, we will one day see India qualify for the World Cup, that remains the dream, as always,' said Fernandes. (ANI)
United News of India
19-05-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Bibiano Fernandes dedicates SAFF U19 victory to Arunachal fans
Yupia (Arunachal Pradesh), May 19 (UNI) India U19 men's team head coach Bibiano Fernandes was all praises for his boys after they were crowned the SAFF U19 champions at the Golden Jubilee Stadium here. 'We knew it would not be an easy final by any stretch of imagination,' said Fernandes at the post-match press conference. 'Bangladesh showed their mettle as well, coming back from a goal down. But our boys exhibited tremendous character to keep fighting for the 90 minutes and beyond." 'We must also appreciate how Bangladesh fought back. I think they showed how good a side they are. It was an entertaining game, and at the end, we're happy that we came out as champions,' said Fernandes, who claimed his fourth junior SAFF title on Sunday night. While the final boiled down to a nail-biting penalty shootout, Fernandes was quietly confident in the Blue Colts' abilities. 'I was always positive for the penalties because I have full faith in my players. I knew that our goalkeeper Suraj (Singh Aheibam) is good at saving penalties. He's been amazing at the training sessions, when we practiced spot-kicks. We knew he would make us proud,' said Fernandes. 'The job for the rest of the boys was to put the ball in the net.' While the India U19s showed quiet confidence in tense situations, their 48-year-old coach attributed much of the mentality to the support from the stands. 'Arunachal Pradesh was amazing for us. I've never seen so many fans turn up for a junior game anywhere in India. We will certainly remember this for the rest of our lives,' he said. 'The crowd was amazing, and the boys enjoyed playing in front of them." 'I would like to dedicate this victory to the fans in Arunachal Pradesh, they were truly amazing. They pushed us and supported us all the way. They made us play the way we did. I'm sure this will motivate more youngsters to dream of playing for the national team one day, and we will have more players like Omang (Dodum) come through,' he said. The Blue colts will now regroup and begin their preparations for the AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers, to be held next year. 'India has ample talent. If we do good development, we will one day see India qualify for the World Cup, that remains the dream, as always,' Fernandes added. UNI BM
Hans India
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
SAFF U19 C'ship: India aim to entertain crowd in summit clash
Yupia: Aimingto win their record-extending 10th SAFF age-group men's tournament, India will take on Bangladesh in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U19 Championship 2025 final on Sunday at the Golden Jubilee Stadium, and head coach Bibiano Fernandes hopes his team can entertain the crowds. India have won the U15, U16, and U17 tournaments twice each, and the U18, U19, and U20 once each. Fernandes has won three of them and is looking for his fourth on Sunday. Bangladesh are familiar opponent for the Blue Colts. The two nations have met in four SAFF men's age-group finals, and India have won all four, including last year's SAFF U17 final by 2-0, with goals from Mohammed Arbash and Mohammed Kaif, both of whom are part of the current U19 squad. India have showcased utter dominance in front of a roaring Arunachal Pradesh crowd so far, winning 8-0 and 4-0 against Sri Lanka and Nepal, respectively, in the group stage, and 3-0 against the Maldives in the semifinal on Friday.
