2023 SAFF U-16 Championship
Tournament details
Host countryBhutan
Dates2–10 September 2023
Teams6 (from 1 sub-confederation)
Venue(s)1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions India (5th title)
Runners-up Bangladesh
Tournament statistics
Matches played9
Goals scored27 (3 per match)
Attendance16,475 (1,831 per match)
Top scorer(s)India Md Arbash
(3 goals)
Best player(s)India Md Arbash
Best goalkeeperIndia Suraj Singh
Fair play award Pakistan

The 2023 SAFF U-16 Championship was the 8th edition of the SAFF U-16 Championship, an international football competition for men's under-17 national teams organized by South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). Its was played from 2–10 September 2023 in Thimphu, Bhutan.[1][2]

India are the defending champions, who won their fifth title in 2023 by defeating Bangladesh in the final.[3]

Venue

On 22 July 2023, SAFF announced the tournament will be held at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan.[1][2]

Thimphu
Changlimithang Stadium
Capacity: 15,000

Teams

Sri Lanka are ineligible for participation as they are suspended by FIFA.[4] Other six SAFF teams are eligible to participate.

Team Appearances
in the SAFF U-17 Championship		 Previous best performance
 Bangladesh8thWinners (2015, 2018)
 Bhutan6thFourth place (2017)
 India8thWinners (2013, 2017, 2019, 2022)
 Maldives6thGroup stage (2011, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)
   Nepal8thRunners-up (2013, 2017, 2019, 2022)
 Pakistan4thWinners (2011)

Draw

The draw was held in BFF House in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 22 July 2023 at 12:00 BST (UTC+6).[5]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3
 Bhutan (hosts)
 India		    Nepal
 Maldives		  Bangladesh
 Pakistan

Draw result

Group A Group B
 India  Bhutan
   Nepal  Maldives
 Bangladesh  Pakistan

Match officials

Referees
  • Bangladesh Md. Nasir Uddin
  • Bhutan Penjor Ugyen
  • Nepal Kabin Byanjankar
  • Maldives Zaheer Hussain
  • India Senthil N Nathan
Assistant referees
  • Nepal Sunwar Hem Kumar
  • Nepal Madhav Khatri
  • Bangladesh Bikash Sarker
  • Pakistan Raeef Rauf
  • India B. Nagoorkani

Players eligibility

Players born on or after 1 January 2007 are eligible to compete in the tournament. Each team has to register a squad of minimum 16 players and maximum 23 players, minimum two of whom must be goalkeepers.

Group stage

Key to colours in group tables
Group winners and runners-up advance to the semi-finals
Tiebreakers

Teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria are applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings.

  1. Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  3. Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
  4. If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above are reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  5. Goal difference in all group matches;
  6. Goals scored in all group matches;
  7. Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
  8. Disciplinary points (yellow card = 1 point, red card as a result of two yellots, direct red card = 3 points, yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points);
  9. Drawing of lots.

Group A

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  India 2 2 0 0 2 0 +2 6 Qualified for Knockout stage
2  Bangladesh 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 3
3    Nepal 2 0 0 2 0 2 −2 0
Source: GSA
Bangladesh 0–1 India
Report Thoungamba Singh 75'
Attendance: 720
Referee: Penjor Ugyen (Bhutan)
Nepal   0–1 Bangladesh
Report Md Ashikur Rahman 47'
Attendance: 0
Referee: Zaheer Hussain (Maldives)
India 1–0   Nepal
Md. Arbash 33' Report
Attendance: 545
Referee: Zaheer Hussain (Maldives)

Group B

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Pakistan 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 6 Qualified for Knockout stage
2  Maldives 2 1 0 1 3 5 −2 3
3  Bhutan (H) 2 0 0 2 3 5 −2 0
Source: GSA
(H) Hosts
Pakistan 2–1 Bhutan
  • Ubaidullah Khan 17'
  • Subhan Karim 30'
 Report
  • Tandin Phuntsho 13'
Attendance: 4,500
Referee: Md. Nasir Uddin (Bangladesh)
Maldives 0–3 Pakistan
Report
  • Subhan Karim 14'
  • Abdul Samad 39'
  • Ahmed Mifzal 51' (o.g.)
Attendance: 200
Referee: Kabin Byanjankar (Nepal)
Bhutan 2–3 Maldives
  • Sonam Dorji 42', 45+3'
 Report
  • Mohamed Ilan Imran 4'
  • Kingyel Wancchuk Dorji 45+5' (o.g.)
  • Ethan Ibrahim Zaki 71'
Attendance: 5,100
Referee: Senthil N. Nathan (India)

Knockout stage

Bracket

 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
8 September–Thimphu
 
 
 India8
 
10 September–Thimphu
 
 Maldives0
 
 India2
 
8 September–Thimphu
 
 Bangladesh0
 
 Pakistan1
 
 
 Bangladesh2
 

Semi-finals

India 8–0 Maldives
  • Vishal Yadav 22'
  • Mohammed Kaif 36'
  • Levis Zangminlun 53'
  • Airborlang Kharthangmaw 62', 82'
  • Manbha Kupar Malngiang 70'
  • Md Arbash 77', 84'
 Report
Attendance: 260
Referee: Kabin Byanjankar (Nepal)
Pakistan 1–2 Bangladesh
  • Abdul Ghani 6'
 Report
  • Md Mursed Ali 14'
  • Md Abu Sayed 29'
Attendance: 450
Referee: Penjor Ugyen (Bhutan)

Final

India 2–0 Bangladesh
  • Bharat Lairenjam 9'
  • Levis Zangminlun 74'
 Report
Attendance: 4,700
Referee: Zaheer Hussain (Maldives)

Winner

 8th SAFF U-16 Championship 2023 Champions 

India
Fifth title

Awards

The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:

Fair Play Award Goalkeeper Golden Boot Award
 Pakistan[6] India Suraj Singh[6] India Md Arbas[6]

Statistics

Goalscorers

There were 29 goals scored in 10 matches, for an average of 2.9 goals per match.

3 goals

  • India Md Arbash

2 goals

  • Pakistan Subhan Karim
  • Bhutan Sonam Dorji
  • India Airborlang Kharthangmaw
  • India Levis Zangminlun

1 goal

  • Bangladesh Md Ashikur Rahman
  • Bangladesh Md Mursed Ali
  • Bangladesh Md Abu Sayed
  • India Bharat Lairenjam
  • India Thougngamba Singh Usham
  • India Vishal Yadav
  • India Md Kaif
  • India Manbha Kupar Malngiang
  • Bhutan Tandin Phuntsho
  • Pakistan Ubaidullah Khan
  • Pakistan Abdul Samad
  • Pakistan Abdul Ghani
  • Maldives Mohamed Ilan Imran
  • Maldives Ethan Ibrahim Zaki

1 own goal

  • Maldives Ahmed Mifzal (against Pakistan)
  • Bhutan Kingyel Wancchuk Dorji (against Maldives)

Source: GSA

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "SAFF Championship: Groups revealed for U-16, U-19 youth events". Khel Now. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Draw revealed for SAFF U16 and U19 Championships". The AIFF. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "India emerge SAFF U16 champions, make short work of Bangladesh in final". www.the-aiff.com. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  4. ↑ "Suspension of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) from 21 January 2023 until further notice" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  5. ↑ "Draw revealed for SAFF U16 and U19 Championships". The AIFF. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "INDIA CROWNED CHAMPIONS OF SAFF U16 CHAMPIONSHIP 2023". www.safederation.org. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
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