Hosts BD get India, Lanka

Hosts Bangladesh were pitted in Group A alongside defending champions India and Sri Lanka when the draw ceremony for the third edition of the SAFF Under-16 Football Championship was held at the Bangladesh Football Federation yesterday.

The draw pitted defending runners-up Nepal against Afghanistan and Maldives in Group B. The championship will be hosted in Sylhet from August 9 to 18.

Pakistan have opted to withdraw from the competition at the eleventh hour, allegedly due to troubles in their football federation, while Bhutan did not show interest in taking part in the competition. The participating teams will receive 5,000 dollars each while Bangladesh, as hosts of the event, will receive 50,000 dollars from the South Asian Football Federation, informed speakers at the draw ceremony.

Bangladesh, guided by Rene Koster, beat Sri Lanka in the opening match before losing against India and qualified for the semifinals as group runners-up. The boys in red and green were then handed a 5-1 thrashing by hosts Nepal in the semifinal before they salvaged some pride with a 1-0 victory over Afghanistan in the third-place deciding match.

Group A: India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka.

Group B: Nepal, Afghanistan, Maldives.