India U-16 coach Bibiano Fernandes credits scouting system for success of youth teams
Jun 20, 2020
New Delhi [India], June 20 : Indian football Under-16 team's head coach Bibiano Fernandes on Friday heaped praised on the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) scouting program for playing an important role in the success of India's youth teams in recent past.
The U-16 team has qualified for the AFC U16 Championship three times in a row from 2016 and the India U-20 and U-19 squad have performed brilliantly in the recent times.
"Our scouting system is in good hands. It is headed by Vikram Nanivadekar who is doing a great job. Sometimes I also go out and help scout for players," said Fernades during an Instagram Live chat with the Indian football team's official page.
"The scouting has been really good and it is becoming better and better. It is difficult to cover the whole country but since the system is in place, we are trying to reach as many places as possible," he added.
The former Sporting Clube de Goa player further explained that they have coaches who send them information about talented football players from every corner of India.
"We target the Subroto Cup and other national tournaments. At the zonal level, we have identified the age-group tournaments. Whenever I am free, I attend the national youth competitions," said Fernades
"We also have coaches on call who send us information about talented players from any corner in India. We exchange details, see videos and then select," he added.
