2023 SAFF U-16 Championship explained
| Tourney Name: | SAFF U-16 Championship |
| Year: | 2023 |
| Country: | Bhutan |
| Dates: | 2–10 September 2023 |
| Num Teams: | 6 |
| Sub-Confederations: | 1 |
| Venues: | 1 |
| Count: | 5 |
| Matches: | 9 |
| Goals: | 27 |
| Top Scorer: |  Md Arbash
(3 goals) |
| Player: | Md Arbash |
| Goalkeeper: | Suraj Singh |
| Prevseason: | 2022 |
| Nextseason: | 2024 |
| Cities: | 1 |
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. Pakistan were given the fair play award.[3]
Venue
All matches were held at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan.
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 | width=39% | Previous best performance |
|---|
| 8th | |
| 6th | |
| 8th | |
| 6th | |
| 8th | |
| 4th | | |
Draw
The draw was held in BFF House in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 22 July 2023 at 12:00 BST (UTC+6).[5]
| width=25% | Pot 1 | width=25% | Pot 2 | width=25% | Pot 3 |
|---|
(hosts)
|
|
| |
Draw result
Match officials
- 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
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
- TiebreakersTeams 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.
- Points in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among tied teams;
- 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;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are tied and they met in the last round of the group;
- 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);
- Drawing of lots.
Group A
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Group B
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Knockout stage
Final
Awards
The following awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament:
Statistics
Goalscorers
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: SAFF Championship: Groups revealed for U-16, U-19 youth events . 22 July 2023 . Khel Now . 22 July 2023.
- Web site: Draw revealed for SAFF U16 and U19 Championships . 22 July 2023 . The AIFF . 22 July 2023.
- Web site: India emerge SAFF U16 champions, make short work of Bangladesh in final. 10 September 2023. www.the-aiff.com. 15 September 2023.
- Web site: Suspension of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) from 21 January 2023 until further notice. 2023-01-27. FIFA.
- Web site: Draw revealed for SAFF U16 and U19 Championships . 22 July 2023 . The AIFF . 22 July 2023.
- News: INDIA CROWNED CHAMPIONS OF SAFF U16 CHAMPIONSHIP 2023. 10 September 2023. www.safederation.org. 2 October 2023.
