Under-16 football tournament to spot talent

NEW DELHI - To promote football and identify promising talent, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in partnership with Coca-Cola India kicked off the Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy (MIHT) under-16 tournament Tuesday.

This year, 16 young and promising footballers identified from MIHT attended the ‘Coca-Cola International 2010 Football Camp’ in South Africa during the FIFA World Cup June 15-20.

The tournament has been extended to 75 cities involving over 40,000 young footballers from 1,500 schools from this year.

“We received an overwhelming response for MIHT in 2009 and are proud to take the initiative to the next level by organizing it in a bigger way,” said AIFF general secretary Alberto Colaco.

Atul Singh, president and CEO, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, said: “The initiative will identify young players for the national under-16 sub junior football team.”