2023 SAFF U-16 Championship

2023 SAFF U-16 ChampionshipTournament details

Host country| Bhutan
Dates| 2–10 September 2023
Teams| 6 (from 1 sub-confederation)
Venue(s)| 1 (in 1 host city)
Final positions
Champions|  India (5th title)
Runners-up|  Bangladesh
Tournament statistics
Matches played| 9
Goals scored| 27 (3 per match)
Attendance| 16,475 (1,831 per match)
Top scorer(s)|  Md Arbash
(3 goals)
Best player(s)|  Md Arbash
Best goalkeeper|  Suraj Singh
Fair play award|  Pakistan

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International football competition

The 2023 SAFF U-16 Championship was the eighth 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. Pakistan were given the fair play award.[3]

## Venue

[edit]

All matches were held at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan.[1][2]

Thimphu

Changlimithang Stadium
Capacity: 15,000

Thimphu

## Teams

[edit]

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

|
|

Bangladesh | 8th | Winners (2015, 2018)
Bhutan | 6th | Fourth place (2017)
India | 8th | Winners (2013, 2017, 2019, 2022)
Maldives | 6th | Group stage (2011, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)
Nepal | 8th | Runners-up (2013, 2017, 2019, 2022)
Pakistan | 4th | Winners (2011)

### Draw

[edit]

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

[edit]

Group A | Pos | Team

|

A1  |  India
A2  |  Nepal
A3  |  Bangladesh
|  |  Group B | Pos | Team

|

B1  |  Bhutan
B2  |  Maldives
B3  |  Pakistan

## Match officials

[edit]

Referees

* Md. Nasir Uddin
* Penjor Ugyen
* Kabin Byanjankar
* Zaheer Hussain
* Senthil N Nathan

Assistant referees

* Sunwar Hem Kumar
* Madhav Khatri
* Bikash Sarker
* Raeef Rauf
* B. Nagoorkani

## Players eligibility

[edit]

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

[edit]

* Times listed are UTC+06:00 Bhutan Time.

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

[edit]

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

2 September 2023

15:00

Bangladesh | 0–1|  India

|
|

| Report | Thoungamba Singh  75'

Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Attendance: 720

Referee: Penjor Ugyen (Bhutan)

* * *

4 September 2023

19:00

Nepal | 0–1|  Bangladesh

|
|

| Report | Md Ashikur Rahman  47'

Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Attendance: 0

Referee: Zaheer Hussain (Maldives)

* * *

6 September 2023

15:00

India | 1–0|  Nepal

|
|

Md. Arbash  33' | Report |

Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Attendance: 545

Referee: Zaheer Hussain (Maldives)

### Group B

[edit]

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

2 September 2023

19:00

Pakistan | 2–1|  Bhutan

|
|

* Ubaidullah Khan  17'
* Subhan Karim  30'

| Report |

* Tandin Phuntsho  13'

Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Attendance: 4,500

Referee: Md. Nasir Uddin (Bangladesh)

* * *

4 September 2023

15:00

Maldives | 0–3|  Pakistan

|
|

| Report |

* Subhan Karim  14'
* Abdul Samad  39'
* Ahmed Mifzal  51' (o.g.)

Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Attendance: 200

Referee: Kabin Byanjankar (Nepal)

* * *

6 September 2023

17:30

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'

Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Attendance: 5,100

Referee: Senthil N. Nathan (India)

## Knockout stage

[edit]

### Bracket

[edit]

| Semi-finals| | Final

|
|
|

|  |  |  |  |  |

| 8 September – Thimphu | |

|  India| 8

| 10 September – Thimphu

|  Maldives| 0 |

|  India| 2

| 8 September – Thimphu

| |  Bangladesh| 0

|  Pakistan| 1

|  Bangladesh| 2 |

### Semi-finals

[edit]

8 September 2023 (2023-9-8)

13:30

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 |

Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Attendance: 260

Referee: Kabin Byanjankar (Nepal)

8 September 2023 (2023-9-8)

17:30

Pakistan | 1-2|  Bangladesh

|
|

* Abdul Ghani  6'

| Report |

* Md Mursed Ali  14'
* Md Abu Sayed  29'

Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Attendance: 450

Referee: Penjor Ugyen (Bhutan)

### Final

[edit]

10 September 2023 (2023-9-10)

18:00

India | 2-0|  Bangladesh

|
|

* Bharat Lairenjam  9'
* Levis Zangminlun  74'

| Report |

Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu

Attendance: 4,700

Referee: Zaheer Hussain (Maldives)

## Winner

[edit]

8th SAFF U-16 Championship 2023 Champions

India
Fifth title

## Awards

[edit]

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

Fair Play Award  | Goalkeeper  | Golden Boot Award

|
|

Pakistan[6] |  Suraj Singh[6] |  Md Arbas[6]

## Statistics

[edit]

### Goalscorers

[edit]

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

3 goals

* Md Arbash

2 goals

* Subhan Karim
* Sonam Dorji
* Airborlang Kharthangmaw
* Levis Zangminlun

1 goal

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

1 own goal

* Ahmed Mifzal (against Pakistan)
* Kingyel Wancchuk Dorji (against Maldives)

Source: GSA

## See also

[edit]

* 2023 SAFF Championship
* 2023 SAFF U-19 Championship
* Women's
* 2023 SAFF U-20 Women's Championship
* 2023 SAFF U-17 Women's Championship

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "SAFF Championship: Groups revealed for U-16, U-19 youth events". Khel Now. 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
2. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c "INDIA CROWNED CHAMPIONS OF SAFF U16 CHAMPIONSHIP 2023". www.safederation.org. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.

*[Pos]: Position
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[GD]: Goal difference
*[Pts]: Points