Latest news with #Moosa
Time of India
a day ago
- General
- Time of India
Youngsters should not jump into ISL, game time more important: Naushad Moosa
Naushad Moosa is coaching the India under-23 team Panaji: Naushad Moosa has returned as head coach of the India under-23 squad. This time, he has been handed a longer rope, stretching a year, and tasked with preparing the team for next year's Asian Games and the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, qualifiers for which will be held in September. Last year, Moosa, assistant to Juan Pedro at NorthEast United, was in charge of the under-23 team for two friendlies against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. 'The longer contract helps me understand the players better,' Moosa told TOI in a recent interview. 'I spoke with the AIFF and told them it's important to have longer camps as well, so that we can properly assess the players and opponents. I want to bring the best out of these players. Getting them to gel together, though, will be a challenge.' Moosa, a former international who played for India between 1994 and 1998 and won the SAFF Championship in 1997, has named a 29-member probable squad for the two friendlies in Dushanbe against Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic, later this month. A concern for Moosa is that a majority of players are with ISL clubs. Many of them are without enough playing time in the top tier of Indian football. 'The younger under-19 players, all of them want to play for ISL clubs. My advice is don't jump (straightway) into the ISL. Of course, you should try, but only a few make it to the top. The youngsters can sign for clubs where they get to play. At this age, it's important for them to be playing competitive matches. Sitting on the bench for financially-rich clubs doesn't really help in their growth as players,' said Moosa. 'The younger players in the ISL are not getting enough opportunities. There are a lot of promising players in the I-League who we will track,' added Moosa. From amongst the 29 probables, only a handful have featured regularly for their teams in the ISL. Just one among them, Vibin Mohanan, has a senior team appearance, though Ayush Chhetri, Abhishek Singh and Suhail Bhat, all aged below 23, are currently under Manolo Marquez with the national team. Mohammed Sanan, Nikhil Barla (both Jamshedpur), Korou Singh, Bikash Yumnam (both Kerala Blasters), Macarton Louis Nickson, Parthib Gogoi (both NorthEast United) and Dipendu Biswas (Mohun Bagan) are the more recognisable names among the under-23 probables. Only two players -- Rahul Raju (Gokulam Kerala) and Mohammad Arbaz (Real Kashmir) – are doing duty in the I-League, the second tier tournament. 'We need to have more camps, more exposure matches. If we cannot travel abroad, we can play here, but with stronger opponents. Losing is not a problem. It's important we play stronger opponents to prepare for the challenges. Our aim should not be to win SAFF. We must look at the bigger stage where we will be properly judged,' said Moosa. India U-23 will face Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic in two friendlies on June 18 and June 21 as part of the AIFF's long-term plans to smoothen a pathway to the senior national team. The team is in Kolkata where they will train before setting off for Dushanbe on June 16.
India Gazette
7 days ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
India to play Qatar, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam in AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers
New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): The India U23 men's national team has been drawn in Group H of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers, after a draw ceremony was conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Alongside India Qatar, Bahrain, and Brunei Darussalam are in Group H. Qatar, the highest-seeded team among the four, will host Group H, with the matches slated to be played between September 1 to 9, as per the AIFF official website. A total of 44 teams were divided into 11 groups of four each. The group winners and the four best runners-up, alongside hosts Saudi Arabia, will complete the cast of 16 teams for the seventh edition of the AFC U23 Asian Cup, which will take place in January 2026. The seedings for the draw were based on a points system derived from the teams' final rankings across the previous three editions of the tournament. India were placed in Pot 3. India had earlier appointed Naushad Moosa as the head coach of their U23 national team. Moosa takes charge of the U23s on June 1, when the Blue Colts assemble in Kolkata for a training camp, before flying off to Tajikistan to play two exposure friendly matches against Tajikistan (June 18) and the Kyrgyz Republic (June 21). The India U23s will utilise all the FIFA International windows to set camp and play exposure friendlies to prepare for the AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers. AFC U23 Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualifiers Draw Result: Group A: Jordan (H), Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Bhutan Group B: Japan, Kuwait, Myanmar (H), Afghanistan Group C: Vietnam (H), Yemen, Singapore, Bangladesh Group D: Australia, China (H), Timor-Leste, Northern Mariana Islands Group E: Uzbekistan, Palestine, Kyrgyz Republic (H), Sri Lanka Group F: Thailand (H), Malaysia, Lebanon, Mongolia Group G: Iraq, Cambodia (H), Oman, Pakistan Group H: Qatar (H), Bahrain, India, Brunei Darussalam Group I: United Arab Emirates (H), Iran, Hong Kong China, Guam Group J: Korea Republic, Indonesia (H), Laos, Macau Group K: Tajikistan, Syria, Philippines, Nepal. (ANI)
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Business Standard
7 days ago
- Sport
- Business Standard
AFC U23 Qualifiers: India drawn with Qatar, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam
The India U-23 men's national team was on Thursday drawn in Group H of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers and will play against hosts Qatar, Bahrain, and Brunei Darussalam. The draw was conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur. Qatar, the highest-seeded team among the four, will host Group H, with the matches slated to be played between September 1 to 9. A total of 44 teams were divided into 11 groups of four each. The group winners and the four best runners-up, alongside hosts Saudi Arabia, will complete the cast of 16 teams for the seventh edition of the AFC U23 Asian Cup, which will take place in January 2026. The seedings for the draw were based on a points system derived from the teams' final rankings across the previous three editions of the tournament. India were placed in Pot 3. India had earlier appointed Naushad Moosa as the head coach of their U-23 national team. Moosa takes charge from June 1, when the Blue Colts assemble in Kolkata for a training camp, before flying off to Tajikistan to play two exposure matches against Tajikistan (June 18) and Kyrgyz Republic (June 21). The India U-23s will utilise all the FIFA international windows to set camp and play exposure friendlies to prepare for the AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said. AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers draw: Group A: Jordan (Hosts), Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Bhutan Group B: Japan, Kuwait, Myanmar (H), Afghanistan Group C: Vietnam (H), Yemen, Singapore, Bangladesh Group D: Australia, China (H), Timor-Leste, Northern Mariana Islands Group E: Uzbekistan, Palestine, Kyrgyz Republic (H), Sri Lanka Group F: Thailand (H), Malaysia, Lebanon, Mongolia Group G: Iraq, Cambodia (H), Oman, Pakistan Group H: Qatar (H), Bahrain, India, Brunei Darussalam Group I: United Arab Emirates (H), IR Iran, Hong Kong China, Guam Group J: Korea Republic, Indonesia (H), Laos, Macau Group K: Tajikistan, Syria, Philippines, Nepal.
Hindustan Times
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
India to play Qatar, Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam in AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers
New Delhi, The India U-23 men's national team was on Thursday drawn in Group H of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers and will play against hosts Qatar, Bahrain, and Brunei Darussalam. The draw was conducted at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur. Qatar, the highest-seeded team among the four, will host Group H, with the matches slated to be played between September 1 to 9. A total of 44 teams were divided into 11 groups of four each. The group winners and the four best runners-up, alongside hosts Saudi Arabia, will complete the cast of 16 teams for the seventh edition of the AFC U23 Asian Cup, which will take place in January 2026. The seedings for the draw were based on a points system derived from the teams' final rankings across the previous three editions of the tournament. India were placed in Pot 3. India had earlier appointed Naushad Moosa as the head coach of their U-23 national team. Moosa takes charge from June 1, when the Blue Colts assemble in Kolkata for a training camp, before flying off to Tajikistan to play two exposure matches against Tajikistan and Kyrgyz Republic . The India U-23s will utilise all the FIFA international windows to set camp and play exposure friendlies to prepare for the AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifiers, the All India Football Federation said. AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers draw: Group A: Jordan , Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei, Bhutan Group B: Japan, Kuwait, Myanmar , Afghanistan Group C: Vietnam , Yemen, Singapore, Bangladesh Group D: Australia, China , Timor-Leste, Northern Mariana Islands Group E: Uzbekistan, Palestine, Kyrgyz Republic , Sri Lanka Group F: Thailand , Malaysia, Lebanon, Mongolia Group G: Iraq, Cambodia , Oman, Pakistan Group H: Qatar , Bahrain, India, Brunei Darussalam Group I: United Arab Emirates , IR Iran, Hong Kong China, Guam Group J: Korea Republic, Indonesia , Laos, Macau Group K: Tajikistan, Syria, Philippines, Nepal.
India Gazette
23-05-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
Naushad Moosa names 29-member probable squad for India U23s
New Delhi [India], May 23 (ANI): A 29-member probable squad for the exposure friendly matches in Dushanbe, Tajikistan next month, has been announced by India U-23 men's national team head coach Naushad Moosa. The All India Football Federation (AIFF), on Tuesday, appointed Naushad Moosa as the head coach of the India U-23 men's national team. Moosa will take charge of the team on June 1, when they begin their camp in Kolkata, with the long-term aim of preparing the Indian team for the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi and Nagoya in Japan, in line with the plans laid out to the federation by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The India U-23s will face the Tajikistan U-23 and Kyrgyz Republic U-23 teams in two matches on June 18 and June 21, respectively, as part of the federation's long-term plans to smooth a pathway to the senior national team, as per the AIFF official website. The team will set camp in Kolkata on June 1, where they will train before setting off for Dushanbe on June 16. As part of the long terms plans for the India U-23s, the AIFF has lined-up camps and exposure friendly matches for the Blue Colts during the FIFA International Windows in order to prepare for AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers, to be held later this year, and the Asian Games, to be held in Japan in 2026. June friendly exposure matches for the U23 team: June 18: Tajikistan vs India. June 21: Kyrgyz Republic vs India. India U-23 Men's National Team Probables list Goalkeepers: Sahil, Priyansh Dubey, Md Arbaz. Defenders: Nikhil Barla, Dippendu Biswas, Bikash Yumnam, Pramveer, Clarence Fernandes, Sajad Hussain Parray, Muhammed Saheef, Subham Bhattacharya, Suman Dey. Midfielders: Vibin Mohanan, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Vinith Venkatesh, Harsh Patre, Rahul Raju, Lalrinliana Hnamte, Macarton Louis Nickson, Manglenthang Kipgen, Chingangbam Shivaldo Singh, Mohammed Aimen, Huidrom Thoi Singh. Forwards: Parthib Sundar Gogoi, Md Suhail, Korou Singh Thingujam, Mohammed Sanan K, Alan Shaji, Joseph Sunny. Head Coach: Naushad Moosa. Assistant Coach: Remus Damiao Gomes. Goalkeeping Coach: Dipankar Choudhary. Strength and Conditioning Coach: Diwakar Manohar. (ANI)
