Shillong, Jul 8: Three Meghalaya boys – (from left) Lionel Daryl Rymmei, Emboklang Nongkhlaw and Halen Nongtdu – have been called up for the India U-16 boys’ training camp to be held in preparation for this year’s Asian Football Confederation U-16 Championship 2020, TSR learned today.
The camp will be held in Goa from 16th July. As a condition of travel by the Goa government, the boys will have to take a Covid-19 test prior to joining the camp. The Asian Championship will be held in Bahrain from 25th November to 12th December.
Nongtdu, a defender and one of the oldest of the 27 boys summoned for the camp, has previously played for the U-15 India team.
Late last year Nongkhlaw had been called for a trial by India U-16 coach Bibiano Fernandes after the latter spotted the midfielder while on a visit to Mizoram where Nongkhlaw was playing for Tata Trusts’ flagship Centre of Excellence for Football in the state’s U-15 league.
Rymmei, meanwhile, is a goalkeeper who had been picked in the Indian U-15 squad that took part in a tour of Italy last year. He had been a member of Kick Start Football Coaching Centre here before moving to Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools in Punjab.
India, who will be making their ninth appearance at the Asian Championship, have been drawn in Group C with Australia, South Korea and Uzbekistan. Players born on or after 1st January 2004 are eligible to compete in the tournament. Each team can register a maximum of 23 players (at least three of whom must be goalkeepers). The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.
