2016 AFC U-16 Championship
The 2016 AFC U-16 Championship was the 17th edition of the AFC U-16 Championship, the biennial international youth football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-16 national teams of Asia. The tournament was held in India, as announced by the AFC on 3 June 2015,[1][2] and was played between 15 September and 2 October 2016.[3] A total of 16 teams played in the tournament.
| 2016 AFC U-16 चैंपियनशिप | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tournament details | |
| Host country |  India |
| Dates | 15 September – 2 October |
| Teams | 16 (from 1 confederation) |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Iraq (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Iran |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 31 |
| Goals scored | 109 (3.52 per match) |
| Attendance | 32,983 (1,064 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Mohammed Dawood (6 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Mohammed Dawood |
Same as previous editions, the tournament acted as the AFC qualifiers for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The top four teams of the tournament qualified for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup also in India as the AFC representatives, besides India who qualified automatically as hosts. If India were among the top four teams, three play-off matches would be played to decide the fifth-placed team which also qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup; however, this was not necessary as India were eliminated in the group stage.[4]
This marked the first time a U-17 World Cup host nation hosts the AFC U-16 Championship.
Iraq won the tournament after beating Iran 4–3 on penalties in the final match.
Qualification
The draw for the qualifiers was held on 5 June 2015.[5] A total of 45 teams were drawn into eleven groups, with the eleven group winners and the four best runners-up qualifying for the final tournament, together with India who qualified automatically as hosts but also competed in the qualifying stage.
The qualifiers were played between 12–20 September 2015, except for Group H which were played between 2–6 September 2015.[6]
Qualified teams
The following 16 teams qualified for the final tournament.[7] Nepal were replaced by Kyrgyzstan due to one of their players failing a MRI bone test.[8]
On 12 April 2016, the AFC Competitions Committee decided that if the FIFA suspension of the Kuwait Football Association was not lifted by 13 May 2016, the next highest ranked team in the AFC U-16 Championship qualifying competition would replace Kuwait in the competition.[9]
On 13 May 2016, the FIFA Congress confirmed the suspension of Kuwait, and asked the FIFA Council to lift the suspension as soon as the necessary requirements are fulfilled.[10] As a result, Kuwait were replaced by Yemen, the next highest ranked team in the AFC U-16 Championship qualifying competition.[11]
| Team | Qualified as | Appearance | Previous best performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | Hosts / Group E (3rd best) runners-up | 7th | Quarter-finals (2002) |
 Uzbekistan | Group A winners | 9th | Champions (2012) |
 Kyrgyzstan | Group B winners | 1st | Debut |
| Iraq | Group C winners | 9th | Third place (1985), Semi-finals (2012) |
 Saudi Arabia | Group D winners | 10th | Champions (1985, 1988) |
| Iran | Group E winners | 10th | Champions (2008) |
 Malaysia | Group G winners | 4th | Quarter-finals (2014) |
 North Korea | Group H winners | 10th | Champions (2010, 2014) |
 South Korea | Group I winners | 12th | Champions (1986, 2002) |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Australia | Group J winners | 5th | Semi-finals (2010, 2014) |
 Japan | Group K winners | 13th | Champions (1994, 2006) |
 Vietnam | Group J (1st best) runners-up | 6th | Fourth place (2000) |
 Thailand | Group H (2nd best) runners-up | 10th | Champions (1998) |
 United Arab Emirates | Group D (4th best) runners-up | 7th | Runners-up (1990) |
 Oman | Group B (5th best) runners-up | 9th | Champions (1996, 2000) |
 Yemen | Group A (6th best) runners-up | 5th | Runners-up (2002) |
Venues
The tournament is played in two venues:
| Margao | 2016 AFC U-16 Championship (India) |
|---|---|
| Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | |
| Capacity: 19,000 | |
 | |
| Bambolim | |
| GMC Stadium | |
| Capacity: 3,600 |
Draw
The draw for the final tournament was held on 26 May 2016, 15:00 IST (UTC+5:30), in Goa (postponed from 4 May 2016).[12][13] The 16 teams were drawn into four groups of four teams.[4] The teams were seeded according to their performance in the previous edition in 2014.
| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Group stage
The top two teams of each group advance to the quarter-finals.
- Tiebreakers
The teams are ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers are applied in the following order:[14]
- Greater number of points obtained in the group matches between the teams concerned;
- Goal difference resulting from the group matches between the teams concerned;
- Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the teams concerned;
- If, after applying criteria 1 to 3, teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 3 are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams in question to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 5 to 9 apply;
- Goal difference in all the group matches;
- Greater number of goals scored in all the group matches;
- Penalty shoot-out if only two teams are involved and they are both on the field of play;
- Fewer score calculated according to the number of yellow and red cards received in the group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
- Drawing of lots.
All times are local, IST (UTC+5:30).[15]
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iran |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 7 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 7 | |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 1 | |
| 4 | India (H) |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 1 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1–1 | Iran |
|---|---|---|
Alazez  51' |
Report | Asadabadi 49' |
| Saudi Arabia | 3–3 | India |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Dhuwayhi 34' Al-Buraikan 82', 83' |
Report | Jadhav 6' Chhetri 22'Wangjam 90+5' (pen.) |
| Saudi Arabia | 1–3 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Al-Duraywish 65' |
Report | Fawzi 42' Ali Khamis 74'Al Naqbi 81' |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | +21 | 9 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Vietnam |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 6 | |
| 3 | Kyrgyzstan |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 3 | |
| 4 | Australia |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 0 |
| Australia | 0–1 | Kyrgyzstan |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Kanybekov 76' (pen.) |
| Kyrgyzstan | 0–8 | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Tanahashi 34', 54', 80' (pen.) Kubo 42', 90+2'Nakamura 43', 52'Suzuki 56' (pen.) |
| Vietnam | 3–1 | Kyrgyzstan |
|---|---|---|
| Nguyễn Khắc Khiêm 20' Maksat 81' (o.g.)Nguyễn Trần Việt Cường 88' |
Report | Alykulov 6' |
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oman |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 5 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | Iraq |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 | |
| 3 | South Korea |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | |
| 4 | Malaysia |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 |
| South Korea | 1–2 | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
| Jeong Chan-young 43' |
Report | Muntadher Mohammed 45+2' (pen.), 50' (pen.) |
| Iraq | 1–1 | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
| Ridha Jalil 43' |
Report | Aliff Haiqal 86' |
| Oman | 0–0 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| South Korea | 3–0 | Malaysia |
|---|---|---|
| Park Jeong-in 4' Cheon Seong-hoon 14' (pen.)Ko Jun-Hee 84' |
Report |
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uzbekistan |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 9 | Knockout stage |
| 2 | North Korea |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 6 | |
| 3 | Yemen |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 | |
| 4 | Thailand |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 1 |
| North Korea | 2–0 | Yemen |
|---|---|---|
| Kim Pom-hyok 61', 75' |
Report |
| Uzbekistan | 5–3 | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| Muydinov 24' (pen.) Yuldoshov 45+2' (pen.), 89'Wudtichai 57' (o.g.)Abdullaev 82' |
Report | Jinnawat 2' Arnon 58', 90+4' |
| Yemen | 0–1 | Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Sobirjonov 69' |
| Thailand | 1–4 | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Hassawat 69' |
Report | Kye Tam 41' (pen.), 63', 67' Ri Kang-guk 79' |
| North Korea | 1–3 | Uzbekistan |
|---|---|---|
| Ri Kang-guk 75' |
Report | Umrzakov 49' Yuldoshov 62'Ganikhonov 68' |
Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, penalty shoot-out is used to decide the winner if necessary (extra time is not used).[14]
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 25 September – Margao | ||||||||||
| Iran | 5 | |||||||||
| 29 September – Margao | ||||||||||
| Vietnam | 0 | |||||||||
| Iran (p) | 1 (6) | |||||||||
| 26 September – Margao | ||||||||||
| North Korea | 1 (5) | |||||||||
| Oman | 1 (2) | |||||||||
| 2 October – Margao | ||||||||||
| North Korea (p) | 1 (4) | |||||||||
| Iran | 0 (3) | |||||||||
| 25 September – Bambolim | ||||||||||
| Iraq (p) | 0 (4) | |||||||||
| Japan | 1 | |||||||||
| 29 September – Bambolim | ||||||||||
| United Arab Emirates | 0 | |||||||||
| Japan | 2 | |||||||||
| 26 September – Bambolim | ||||||||||
| Iraq | 4 | |||||||||
| Uzbekistan | 0 | |||||||||
| Iraq | 2 | |||||||||
Quarter-finals
Winners qualify for 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
| Japan | 1–0 | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Seko 31' |
Report |
| Oman | 1–1 | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Al Jahdhami 80' |
Report | Kim Pom-hyok 84' |
| Penalties | ||
Al-Alawi  Al-Qaidi  Al Malki Al Jahdhami |
2–4 | Kye Tam Yun Min Kim Kyong-sok Cha Kwang Kim Pom-hyok |
Semi-finals
Goalscorers
- 6 goals
- 4 goals
- Takefusa Kubo
- Akito Tanahashi
- Kye Tam
- 3 goals
- Alireza Asadabadi
- Allahyar Sayyad
- Mohammad Sharifi
- Mohammad Ghaderi
- Hiroto Yamada
- Arshad Al-Alawi
- Kim Pom-hyok
- Rasul Yuldoshov
- 2 goals
- John Roberts
- Muntadher Mohammed
- Shimpei Fukuoka
- Soichiro Kozuki
- Taisei Miyashiro
- Keito Nakamura
- Ri Kang-guk
- Firas Al-Buraikan
- Arnon Prasongporn
- Ahmad Fawzi
- Nguyễn Hữu Thắng
- 1 goal
- Aman Chetri
- Aniket Jadhav
- Sanjeev Stalin
- Boris Singh Thangjam
- Suresh Singh Wangjam
- Amir Khoda Moradi
- Mohammed Ridha Jalil
- Muntadher Abdulsada
- Takuma Kemmotsu
- Nagi Matsumoto
- Gijo Sehata
- Ayumu Seko
- Toichi Suzuki
- Dhari Al-Anazi
- Mansor Al Beshe
- Abdulaziz Al-Dhuwayhi
- Nawaf Al-Duraywish
- Adilet Kanybekov
- Gulzhigit Alykulov
- Cheon Seong-Hoon
- Jeong Chan-young
- Ko Jun-Hee
- Park Jeong-In
- Aliff Haiqal
- Muadh Al Jahdhami
- Yousuf Al Malki
- Jinnawat Russamee
- Natthaphon Srisawat
- Hassawat Nopnate
- Abdullah Al Naqbi
- Abed Alazez Dawod
- Ali Khamis
- Majed Rashed
- Manea Aydh
- Ibrokhim Ganikhonov
- Abubakir Muydinov
- Mardon Abdullaev
- Asadbek Sobirjonov
- Jasurbek Umrzakov
- Nguyễn Duy Khiêm
- Nguyễn Khắc Khiêm
- Nguyễn Trần Việt Cường
- 1 own goal
- Dzhakybaliev Maksat (against Vietnam)
- Wudtichai Kumkeam (against Uzbekistan)
- Hassawat Nopnate (against Yemen)
- Source: the-afc.com
Tournament ranking
As per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Final result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iraq |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 12 | Champions |
| 2 | Iran |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 12 | Runners-up |
| 3 | Japan |
5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 4 | +20 | 12 | Semi-finalists |
| 4 | North Korea |
5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 8 | |
| 5 | Uzbekistan |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 9 | Eliminated in quarter-finals |
| 6 | United Arab Emirates |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 7 | |
| 7 | Oman |
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 6 | |
| 8 | Vietnam |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 15 | −9 | 6 | |
| 9 | South Korea |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 4 | Eliminated in group stage |
| 10 | Kyrgyzstan |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 3 | |
| 11 | Saudi Arabia |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 1 | |
| 12 | Yemen |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 1 | |
| 13 | India (H) |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 1 | |
| 14 | Thailand |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 1 | |
| 15 | Malaysia |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 | |
| 16 | Australia |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 0 |
Qualified teams for FIFA U-17 World Cup
The following five teams from AFC qualified for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, including India which qualified as hosts.[17]
| Team | Qualified on | Previous appearances in tournament1 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 5 December 2013[18] | 0 (Debut) |
| Iraq | 26 September 2016 | 1 (2013) |
| Iran | 25 September 2016 | 3 (2001, 2009, 2013) |
| Japan | 25 September 2016 | 7 (1993, 1995, 2001, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013) |
| North Korea | 26 September 2016 | 4 (2005, 2007, 2011, 2015) |
- 1 Bold indicates champion for that year. Italic indicates host for that year.
Ban on North Korean manager and goalkeeper
On 4 November 2016, the AFC announced that North Korean manager Yung Jong-su and goalkeeper Jang Paek-ho were banned for a year for bringing the game into disrepute following the deliberate conceding of a goal during their final group match against Uzbekistan.[19] The goal in question was conceded in the 49th minute, which Jang appeared to duck out of the way of a direct kick from the Uzbek goalkeeper. Uzbekistan won the match 3–1 and finished top of the group, meaning they would meet Iraq in the quarter-finals, and they went on to lose. North Korea, as group runners-up, met Oman in the quarter-finals, which they won to qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.[20] The ban means both Yung and Jang are suspended from the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
The North Korean team were also placed on a suspended ban from the 2018 AFC U-19 Championship. While they will be allowed to compete in the qualifiers, if the team engage in similar behaviour, they will be automatically ejected from the competition.[19]
References
- "India to host AFC U-16 Championship 2016". AFC. 3 June 2015.
- "INDIA WIN AFC U-16 BID". All India Football Federation. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2016" (PDF). AFC.
- "AFC U-16 Championship India 2016 draw concluded". AFC. 26 May 2016.
- "AFC U-16 Championship 2016 qualifying draw concluded". AFC. 5 June 2015.
- "AFC Calendar of Competitions 2015" (PDF). AFC.
- "AFC U-16 Championship finalists confirmed". the-AFC.com. 21 September 2015.
- "Kyrgyzstan to compete at AFC U-16 C'ship after Nepal exclusion". AFC. 27 October 2015.
- "AFC Competitions Committee decisions". the-AFC.com. 12 April 2016.
- "FIFA Congress drives football forward, first female secretary general appointed". the-AFC.com. 13 May 2016.
- "AFC U-16 Championship India 2016: The Groups". AFC. 28 May 2016.
- "AFC confirms raft of crucial draw dates". AFC. 17 March 2016.
- "India's preparations for U-17 World Cup to gather pace with AIFF Youth Cup". Firstpost. 2 May 2016.
- "Regulations AFC U-16 Championship 2016" (PDF). AFC.
- "AFC U-16 Championship India 2016: Match Schedule" (PDF). AFC.
- "Iraq's Dawood Wins MVP and Top Scorer Awards". The-AFC.com. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- "Asian quartet qualify for India 2017". FIFA.com. 25 September 2016.
- "FIFA launches 2014 FIFA World Cup Legacy Trust". FIFA.com. 5 December 2013.
- "Latest AFC Disciplinary Committee decisions published". AFC. 4 November 2016.
- "North Korea: Goalkeeper and manager of U16 team fined and banned by AFC". BBC Sport. 4 November 2016.
External links
- AFC U-16 Championship, the-AFC.com