The Pakistan-India football clash will begin on November 11 in the AFC Youth Football encounter in Iran. Pakistan is being placed in a tough-qualifying Group B of 36th AFC U19 Youth Championship and besides India, Pakistan will take on Iran (6th November) and Asian powerhouse Oman (9th November), Lebanon (14th November) and Bahrain (17th November) at Iran.
The Pakistani team will leave for Iran on Sunday to open their campaign against Iran at the Paas Stadium in Tehran on November 6. Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) President Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat is taking stern ambitious steps to build up a formidable team for the November show. "19th National U18 Football Championship at Model Town Ground had provide us talented players and manager Imtiaz Butt with coaches Bashir Ahmed, Sajjad Mehmood and Nadeem Abdul Rehman are grooming and energising the 30 players in the camp for coming tough assignment as it is not easy to face Iran on their home territory," said Faisal.
The top-two teams from each of the seven qualifying groups of AFC U19 championship advance to the finals alongwith the best third-placed team. All the matches will be played in one centralised venue hosted by one country in the group. The top-four finishers of AFC Youth Championship 2008 will advance to the 17th Fifa World Youth Championship 2009 at Egypt.
FOLLOWING IS THE SCHEDULE:
6th November: IR Iran v Pakistan, India v Lebanon (Paas Stadium), Bahrain v Oman (Rah Ahan Stadium). 9th Nov: India v Bahrain (Rah Ahan Stadium), Oman v Pakistan, Lebanon v IR Iran (Paas Stadium). 11th Nov: Lebanon v Bahrain (Rah Ahan Stadium), IR Iran v Oman, Pakistan v India (Paas Stadium). 14th Nov: Oman v India (Rah Ahan Stadium), Pakistan v Lebanon, Bahrain v IR Iran (Paas Stadium). 17th Nov: IR Iran v India, Pakistan v Bahrain (Paas Stadium), Lebanon v Oman (Rah Ahan Stadium).