India's U-17 World Cup team leaves for exposure tour to Europe to prepare for grand event

New Delhi: The Indian football team for the U-17 World Cup on Tuesday left the country for an exposure tour to Europe where it will play a series of practice matches in Portugal, France, Hungary and a tournament in Italy. [caption id=“attachment_3379790” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Getty[/caption] The 26-member squad, accompanied by seven officials including head coach Luis Norton de Matos, will train in Lisbon till 15 May, and will play practice matches against U-17 youth teams of leading Portuguese clubs like Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, Estoril and Setubal. The squad would then proceed to Paris to play a practice match against PSG U-17 team. The Indians will also have a match against the Italian U-17 national team in Rome and will also be participating in the Lazio Cup. The Lazio Cup is a tournament played among 16 teams and the expected teams include Albania U-17, Colombia U-17, a team from CAF Canadian selection, and others like Fiorentina, Lazio, Sampdoria, Cagliari, Pescara, Serie B Italia, Serie C Italia and for local sides. The Indian team also has confirmed matches against Hungary U-17 and matches against Spanish clubs during their tour to Spain. All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das said: “AIFF wants to provide the best of exposure to the U-17 World Cup team in our quest to field a competitive team for the World Cup.” “The practice matches against various youth national teams and youth teams of clubs playing in premier division leagues will serve as a unique experience for our boys as they prepare for the World Cup. We also need to thank SAI for their continuous support,” he added.