MARGAO
Madan Maharaja FC from Madhya Pradesh were crowned champions of the 10th edition of FC Bayern Youth Cup India held at Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (PJN) Stadium, Fatorda.
Madan Maharaja beat Roots Academy team from Bengaluru in the final. Ten footballers, namely Christiano, MD Sarfarash, Mohammad Akip Alam, Siddharth, Sujal, Farhan Abdul, Mahesh (GK), Kaush G Poojary, Liyan Thanveer and Atharv were scouted for the Youth Cup World Finals in Munich, Germany. Five players on standby for the World Finals include Mohammed Sajid, Dakshan V, Pratik, Barial Tudy and Rudransh.
The tournament organised by BigHit was a three-day affair and was graced by Manoj Patil, Secretary to Chief Minister, Brahmanand Shakhwalkar, Arjuna & Padma Shri awardee in football, Hans Pflügler, FC Bayern legend and Francisco Quiñones, Manager of International Youth Football at FC Bayern Munich.
More than 15,000 U-16 players from over 28 cities went head-to-head in state-level football tournaments. 16 teams of 240 players were successful in getting an entry to the National Finals.
Speaking at the Youth Cup National Finals, Shaktie Prakash, Founder & CEO, BigHit said, “We are delighted to have hosted the FC Bayern Youth Cup National Finals in India. The event reinforced our vision of having young Indian footballers on the global map. The event provided a great opportunity for players and coaches to interact and get valuable insights from FC Bayern legend Hans Pflügler. We will continue to create more such opportunities for our talented athletes and give them a platform that will enable them to fulfil their goals and dreams.”
FC Bayern legend Pflügler said, “It is my second visit to India, and it is amazing to witness all the passion for football from the young talents at the grassroots level. We've scouted the top ten talents from India, providing them with the chance to compete against finalists from seven countries. This is also a great opportunity for the kids to showcase their skills on the global stage of FC Bayern in Munich.”
