Qatar Football AssociationNews
14.10.2016 0:46 in :

MANAMA, Bahrain: Defending champions Qatar, who will be hoping to
emulate their success in Myanmar two years ago, will begin their title
defence against Islamic Republic of Iran on Friday which is the
opening day of the AFC U-19 Championship.

The tournament kicks off On Friday with Korea Republic taking on
Thailand while hosts Bahrain prepare to face Saudi Arabia in Group A.

Iran, Japan and Yemen are along side Qatar in Group C.

Qatar face Yemen on October 17 and Japan on October 20 in the
preliminary stages of the tournament.

Qatar won the 2014 edition in Myanmar by beating North Korea in the
final. Qatar, the champions in 2014 later qualified to play the 2015
FIFA U-20 World Cup held in New Zealand.

Excitement is starting to build as Asia’s top 16 teams prepare to
battle for continental supremacy from October 13-30 in the latest
edition of the event which is being held in Bahrain.

Teams will also be hoping to join Korea Republic who have already
qualified as hosts of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, for the four available
Asian slots at the championship.

AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has rallied on the
continent’s future stars to showcase their promise.

“In the AFC’s Vision and Mission, we have reinforced our commitment to
organise quality competitions to ensure the success of our teams and
players,” Shaikh Salman said.

“Asia is home to some of the world’s finest young talents and I am
confident that the AFC U-19 Championships Bahrain 2016 will provide an
invaluable platform, not only to further develop their abilities but
also to strengthen the foundations for Asian players and teams to
perform on the world’s biggest stages.

“I wish all the teams the very best of campaigns and I would also like
to commend the Local Organising Committee for its meticulous attention
to detail, preparing for a successful 2016 edition of one of the
oldest youth tournaments in the AFC competitions calendar,” he said.

Since the inauguration of the championship in 1959, Korea Republic
have been the most successful team with 12 titles in a record 36
tournament appearances.

Closing in on that appearance record are Japan who have participated
in 35 championships, though interestingly, are still looking to
capture their first crown.

Three additional play-off matches will be organised among the four
quarter-final runners-up to determine the fifth and final place
allocated to Asia, should Korea Republic finish among the
championship’s top four teams.

The final will take place on October 30 at the Bahrain National Stadium.

Squad: Sayed Hassan Issa, Nasser Al-Saadi, Mohammed Said Ibrahim,
Abdul Rahman Mohammed Mustafa, Mashaal, Ibrahim Faraj, Badr Al-Hamad,
Khaled Mazeed, Munir Ahmad, Bakri Mohammed, Walid Hassan Bakhit,
Hussein Ali Behzad, Saad Khalifa Khamis, Khaled Mubarak Al-Nuaimi,
Tarek Salman, Suleiman Abdul, Rashid Ibrahim, Mohammed Ahmed, Hassan
Ahmed, Bassam Naeem, Hisham Al-Rawi, Abdullah Abdul Salam, Ahmed
Bakhit, Alohrq Menhali, Nasser Abdel-Salam Alohrq, Awad Ahmed
Al-Muwaffaq and Mohammed Uday.

Coach: Oscar Cano