MATHAKONDAPALLI MODEL SCHOOL BANGALORE WINS ADIDAS FC BAYERN YOUTH CUP INDIA 2017

The exhilarating adidas FC Bayern Youth Cup India 2017 comes to an end with Mathakondapalli Model School, Bangalore winning the title by beating Nalanda Public School (Team B), New Delhi 1-0 in the nail biting 30-minute final match. RICEMMS stopper (defender) Harpreet Singh scored the only goal of the game in a free kick at the 23rd minute to take his team to victory. This coveted under-16, seven-a-side inter-school football tournament was played in Delhi at adidas’s new football venue -The adidas Base- Plaza Farms on 3rd and 4th December 2016.

Out of the 300 schools that participated in the tournament, 8 schools from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata had secured qualification for the India finals. German World Cup Winner and FC Bayern legend, Paul Breitner was present in the country to attend the finals of this prominent tournament dedicated to the youth. Paul selected 10 best players from the top eight National finalist teams to represent ‘Team India’ in the FC Bayern Youth Cup World Finals to be held in Munich in May 2017. The other participating countries are Germany, Austria, USA, China, Thailand and more.

The matches were conducted in all four cities from 16rd to 26st November, 2016 and the tournament saw more than 3,000 talented players showcase their skills. Schools that qualified for India Finals faced each other for the much coveted top spot of this prestigious tournament:

Delhi NCR – Nalanda Public School Team A & Team B
Mumbai - St. Lawrence (Borivali) and St. Xavier’s Boys Academy (Church Gate)
Bangalore – The International School Bangalore (TISB) and Rural Institute for Community Education Mathakondapalli Model School (RICEMMS)
Kolkata- St James’s School and La Martiniere Boys School

Former German World Cup winner and Bayern Munich Legend, Paul Breitner, commented on the tournament saying, “It was a great weekend with the kids and a pleasure to see such skilled young talents. I have been visitng India since 2011 and over the years it is nice to see that football in India has been improving and gaining momentum. Within the next 20 years, I see India as one of the leading nations in the world football scenario.“

Speaking on the ocassion, Hrishikesh Shende, Director Football, adidas India said, ”FC Bayern Youth Cup India 2016 is one of the key initiatives by adidas to promote and nurture football in India. The tournament had been an exciting experience wherein young footballers from across the country came together to put in their best performances and win a chance to partake in the World Finals in May 2017. We congratulate the selected players who will form Team India and wish them luck for the big opportunity that awaits them.“

“It is an absolute privilege to partner with adidas FC Bayern Youth Cup India 2017 as an official travel partner. This platform encourages young football players in India by providing an opportunity to showcase their talent in an international environment”, said Wolfgang Will, Director, South Asia, Lufthansa German Airlines. “This collaboration also allows Lufthansa to be an enabler in nurturing India rich sporting talent and reaffirms our promise of being ‘More Indian Than You Think‘,“ he added.

The 10 players handpicked by Paul Breitner to form Team India and particiapate in the FC Bayern Youth Cup World Finals to be held in Munich in May 2017 are:

Leitanthem Omarson, RICE, Bangalore
Shehbaz Ali Dhut Rice, RICE, Bangalore
Soibam Birjit Meetei, RICE, Bangalore
Harpreet Singh, RICE, Bangalore
Akash Pradhan, RICE, Bangalore
Parthib Sundar Gogoi, RICE, Bangalore
Jagannath Sikdar, Nalanda Public School (Team B), New Delhi
Sanidhya Gupta, Nalanda Public School (Team B), New Delhi
Ayush Tiwari, Nalanda Public School (Team B), New Delhi
Harshit Pandey, Nalanda Public School (Team A), New Delhi