Kolkata: The much-awaited U-17 FIFA World Cup isn’t much far away and Indian head coach Luis Norton de Matos wants to project to the world that India too is in good shape and is definitely right up there with the best teams in the world.
As quoted by a media release, Matos said, “All games are winnable in football, there is no game which can’t be won. Even if there is a five percent chance of winning we will fight for it.”
He further added, “We want to show that the Indian team is as organized as the rest of the World and if we can show the World that we too can play football, it would be even better.”
The Indian U-17 team currently is preparing themselves in Goa for the showpiece event where they have been clubbed with USA, Colombia and Ghana in Group A. Matos’ boys, recently have participated in a four-nation tournament in Mexico after being part of exposure trips in Europe, where they faced clubs like Benfica and national teams like Macedonia and Serbia to name a few.
The Indian colts kick-off their campaign against USA on October 6.
“The level of the Indian U-17s is very high but come the FIFA U-17 World Cup it will be a different ball game altogether. However, if we can prove that the Indian Team can play on the same page as the opposition in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, there is a victory in that,” said Matos.
He further added, “Every game you play either you win or it is a learning experience. Against Chile and Macedonia, we registered good results but the FIFA U-17 World Cup will be a competition and competitions are different for friendly games.”
The 63-year-old further stated that he was happy to be involved with such an historical event in India’s footballing history.
“It is amazing to be a part of a unique moment in Indian football’s history. I am very happy to be a part of it. If the players continue to play with hard work and dedication and chart goals for them, they can go on to be the some of the best in the coming years,” he said.
He also said that this generation of young footballers would inspire many to take up the sport in the future.
“The players are already heroes because they will be playing in India’s first ever participation in a FIFA World Cup. This generation can inspire many coming generations to take up Football in India..” Matos said.