MARGAO
Justin Camillo Fernandes seems to always have a smile on his face. That is likely to remain there for the foreseeable future with the 15-year-old becoming one of the youngest players to be drafted into the Qatar national team for the AFC U17 Asian Cup.
The final cast of the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2023 will be determined when Asia's future stars showcase their talent at the Qualifiers which kicked off in 10 centralised venues across the continent on Saturday.
Qatar are in Group C alongside Iraq, Bahrain Oman and Lebanon. The winners of the 11 groups will qualify automatically for the finals while the best-placed runners-up will complete the final 16-team roster.
Goa-based Justin, a student of Absolute Sports Academy (ASA), returned on a triumphant note from an exposure trip to Armenia after their two teams won the titles in their respective categories at the 2018 Vanadzor Summer Cup. The tournament was held in the Armenian capital of Yerevan.
The U10 team got off the blocks with a 7-4 win over Alashkert FC in the first round before defeating Artsvanist Fut Academia 8-5 in the next game. The final fixture saw ASA fight it out for the title with Junior International Academia. A thrilling encounter ensued and finally ASA lifted the trophy after winning 4-1 on penalties, after a 6-6 draw in normal time. ASA's Justin was chosen as the best forward for his goalscoring skills. Camilo Fernandes, father of Justin, was full of praise for the facilities at Aspire while stating his son desires to be the best in the group. "I am excited that my son will represent the Qatar national team and will test himself against the best teams. He will compete and do the best he can," said Fernandes. "Aspire is a great venue for sports and the boys were excited when they trained. Obviously I hope they qualify from the group but at this tender age, I don't want my son to put too much pressure on himself. I want him to go out there and perform,” he said.
"It’s a learning process for him and I am sure he will perform to the best of his ability," Fernandes added. "If they can qualify, we will be happy but we will congratulate whoever goes through from the group,” he added.
Justin's parents, Camilo and Abaigail, hail from Murida, Cuncolim. They have been his biggest supporters, with his father guiding his football and mother helping him in his studies.
"This is the biggest moment for Qatar Goans community and Indian community. Justin has made us proud by representing the Qatar national team," John De Sa, Secretary of Sports Football, ISC said.
