India U-17 men’s football team to play friendlies against UAE, Uzbekistan in January

New Delhi [India], January 12 (ANI): The India U-17 team is scheduled to play a friendly against the UAE U-17 team on January 16 in Dubai.

Subsequently, the team will play two friendlies against Uzbekistan on January 22 and 24 in Goa. The All India Football Federation has appointed former India international and AIFF Technical Committee member Eugeneson Lyngdoh as Honorary Project Head for the U-17 Men’s team, ahead of the AFC Asian Cup 2023.
“We believe that the involvement of a player of Eugeneson’s stature will be beneficial to the players and coaching staff,” Secretary General Shaji Prabhakaran said in an official statement released by AIFF while discussing the appointment.

Having made his India debut in 2015, Lyngdoh went on to earn 24 caps for the country in the Senior National Team. Lyngdoh was a mainstay of the team that won the 2015 SAFF Cup and the 2017 Tri-Nation Series and was instrumental in helping India qualify for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Lyngdoh was awarded the AIFF Player of the Year in 2015. At the club level, Lyngdoh was a key part of the Bengaluru FC side who won the 2015-16 I-League and the 2016 Federation Cup, as well as reached the finals of the 2016 AFC Cup. After retiring from active football, he was elected to the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly in 2021.