Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore congratulates India U-16 for reaching AFC U-16 quarters

Rajyavardhan Rathore, the Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs on Friday congratulated the Indian U-16 men’s football team for reaching their maiden quarter-final at the AFC U-16 Championship in Indonesia.

Rathore, an Olympic silver-medallist in 2004 took to his official Twitter handle to congratulate the young colts for their achievement. The Indian U-16 team remains just one victory away from reaching their first ever U-17 World Cup on merit.

What a proud moment for India! @IndianFootball qualifies for AFC U-16 quarterfinals for the first time in 16 years!

Best wishes to our talented bright youngsters for their future matches! This is a very promising result for Indian football.@abhiy10 https://t.co/XThHoyMEHl

— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) September 28, 2018

Also Read: AFC U-16 Championship: India enter quarter-finals after 16 long years 

The minister further wrote it was just the beginning for a better footballing future of India.

“What a proud moment for India! @IndianFootball qualifies for AFC U-16 quarterfinals for the first time in 16 years! Best wishes to our talented bright youngsters for their future matches! This is a very promising result for Indian football,” he tweeted.

India had earlier defeated Vietnam 1-0 in their opening Group C game in the competition, before holding Iran and Indonesia to goalless draws and finish as runners-up to qualify for the quarters.

They accumulated five points from three matches, which is the highest they have ever earned in the tournament, overtaking the four points they had earned in 2004. It will also be the first time in 16 years that India will be playing in the quarter-finals of a major tournament

India will next play the quarter-finals on October 1, of which the opponent is yet to be decided. A victory will not just send them into the semis but also book them a berth for the next U-17 World Cup.