The AFC U-17 Championship qualifiers kick off tomorrow in China, and ahead of the opening matches, a formal press conference was held today. Both Bangladesh head coach Golam Rabbani Choton and team captain Nazmul Huda Faisal voiced strong confidence about topping their group and securing a spot in the main event.
Coach Choton emphasized that the team’s preparations remain fully focused on their own strategy rather than external pressures.
“𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔,” 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅. “𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓 — 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒚.”
Tough Group, but Bangladesh Stay Positive
Bangladesh finds itself in a challenging group featuring hosts China, Bahrain, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and Brunei. Coach Choton acknowledged the competitive field, stating that China and Bahrain have well-structured football systems, while the other teams are steadily improving.
Bangladesh will open its campaign tomorrow at 12 PM Bangladesh time against Timor-Leste. The coach mentioned that scouting the opponent was difficult:
“We tried to gather video footage of Timor-Leste but found very little,” he explained. “Still, we will rely on our own plan and play for victory.”
The Senior Team’s Success Inspires Faisal
Captain Nazmul Huda Faisal also shared his optimism, requesting support from fans as they take on Timor-Leste in their first match. He expressed hope that a strong start would set the tone for the rest of the qualifiers.
Interestingly, when the senior team beat India in Dhaka on November 18 — their first such victory in 22 years — the U-17 squad had just arrived in China. The morale boost from that historic win has clearly influenced the young team.
“Bangladesh football is progressing, and the senior team is proving itself,” Faisal said. “We want to continue that momentum. InshaAllah, we aim to start with a win and return home with a strong result.”
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