UT academy protege to lead U-17 WC team

Deepankar Sharda

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 19

Manipur’s Amarjit Singh Kiyam had never thought that an advice from his senior to move to the Chandigarh Football Academy (CFA) would change his life. Today, Amarjit was elected captain of the Indian team for next month’s U-17 World Cup, being hosted in the country for the first time, marking a significant point in his journey from a regular schoolboy to football stardom.

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At a team meeting in Goa, coach Luis Norton de Matos suggested four names and asked each of the 27 players to write their choice for captaincy on a piece of paper, allocating five, three and one points, respectively, for the top three choices. Amarjit was their unanimous choice.

Jitendra Singh, who was second, was picked as Amarjit’s deputy. Suresh Singh, who led India at the AFC Under-16 Championship last year, received the third highest votes. Amarjit had earlier captained the side in a few friendly international ties. 

Amarjit’s journey started in 2011, when as a 10-year-old he and his friends landed in Chandigarh to appear for the trials for a new batch of the CFA. As they waited their turn, Amarjit took the ball and moved towards the target wall for practice.

Former India captain Harjinder Singh, the then CFA head coach, spotted Amarjit kicking the ball around. “I thought he was an exceptional talent,” he recalls.

Amarjit topped the skill and speed tests but was not among the top-three in the stamina test. Harjinder took Amarjit under his wings as the young lad spent the next four years (2011-2015) at the CFA, honing his skills. “He was quite dedicated,” says Harjinder. 

“Amarjit would practise on Sundays, when the entire batch would rest after a hectic week of training.”

During his time at the CFA, Amarjit played in local championships, All-India Administrator’s Cup, Pre-Subroto Cup and other tournaments. He suffered a major ankle injury but his strong will helped him bounce back, he recalls. Amarjit went on to represent Government Model High School, Sector 36. 

His hard work paid off as he got a chance to play in Goa during an exposure trip with CFA team in 2015. 

His performance during the tour impressed Indian selectors as the CFA drew the first game and won the second 3-0.

Five CFA players were picked for the national camp, and Amarjit was the most impressive among them. He, however, had to give up CFA and its regional matches to train for the national-level tournaments.

“Amarjit is an exceptional talent, a rare one. He practised seven days a week and improved his skills,” says Harjinder. “The Goa trip changed it all for these kids. They deserved to be in the Indian team. The training during the preparation of the World Cup team made him stronger and he emerged as the leader. It’s a proud moment for me as a coach.”

“This is a great opportunity for the Indian team and for all the players,” said Harjinder. “Amarjit has a chance to write his name in the history of Indian football.”

Amarjit’s batch passed out last year, a year earlier than the others. Amarjit has promised his juniors that he would come back to motivate them after the U-17 World Cup.

The other members of the squad are likely to be announced on Wednesday and two more players from CFA academy are expected to make the cut.