Panaji: Midfielder Amarjit Singh Kiyam has been unanimously elected as the captain of Indian team for the upcoming FIFA Under-17 World Cup which will be played across six venue in India. The tournament begins October 6.
Coach Luis Norton de Matos had suggested four names and had asked each of the 27 players in the team to write on a sheet of paper their choice for captaincy. The first name would get five points, the next three and the final choice one.
The players unanimously voted for Amarjit as their captain. Jitendra Singh, who was second in the points tally, will be Amarjit’s deputy.
Suresh Singh, who led India at the AFC Under-16 Championships last year, received the third highest votes.
Born and brought up in Manipur, Amarjit was introduced to the game by his uncle and he soon found himself at the Chandigarh Football Academy (CFA). When the selectors were hunting for players to represent India at the Under-17 World Cup, Amarjit was invited for trials and he caught the eye of everyone.
At first he was slotted with the reserve side and made the first team grade after German coach Nicolai Adam was impressed with his abilities in midfield.
“It is indeed a great honour bestowed on me by my teammates. I hope that I can live up to their expectations,” Amarjit was quoted as saying by the AIFF website. “I am quite blessed to be here and hope to give my best every time I am on the field.”
Press trust of India