Manchester Sports Academy SL to play football in the Maldives
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Manchester Red: Sumesh Salman (Captain, Hamza College), Mahesan Samarakoon (Vice Captain, Dharmaraja), Alan Fernando, Sudeep Priyankara, Suraj Anjana (All from St. Nicholas'), Sivakumaran Prathab (Mutwal Hindu), Rashard Nazar (T.B. Jayah Zahira), Derrick Fernando (St. Lucia's), D.K. Danushka (Defence Services College), M. Nuhuman (St. John's, Colombo 15), Dickson Mahendran (Al Aksah), M. Asadullah (M.D. Gunasena Int.), Abdullah Yazeer (Beacon Int.), Farshan Ayub, Suraj Alandawake (both from Mahasen M.V.)
Two teams from
Sri Lanka’s Manchester Sports Academy namely Manchester Red and Manchester White flew to Maldives on Friday evening to take part in the Under-14 Milo Hulumale Sports School invitation Cup soccer tournament to be played in Male from November 26 to December 1.
Manchester Red is captained by Sumesh Salman of Hamza College, Mutwal and the White team is led by Rakeeb Razmin of Cresent International School. Both teams consist of 15 players each and hope to do well in the tournament. Both captains were optimist that their sides are excited to take part in this tournament and hope to do well. This is the first time teams from a football academy in Sri Lanka is taking part in an overseas tournament and all credit goes to the founder president of Manchester Soccer Academy, Augustine George a former national player who inaugurated this academy just six months ago.
Manchester White: Rakeeb Razmin (Captain, Crescent Int.), Abdul Wahab (Vice Captain), M. Afzer (both from JMC Int.), Ishaan Ravichandran, Arun Kumar (both from Mutwal Hindu), P. Rakesh (Madampitiya St. Anthony's), Sachintha Rohan (Angoda Rahula), Firnaz Fayaz, Giuliano, Sheron Sthevan (all three from Atami Int.), Malisha Shehan (Pobandiyewa V.), Udith Induwara, Malisha Ranjith , Sathsara Kahatapitiya, Sahuluka Hasaranga (all four from Mahasen M.V.), Mohammed Shaad (Beacon Int.).
”The children are keen to take part in this tournament and they are a bit nervous as this will be their debut overseas tour. I am confident this side will produce good results. We started this academy with an aim of producing skillful soccerites in the future who could fit into the club teams and then to the national level. The parents of the children are giving their fullest support and the coaching staff is doing an untiring job to uplift the game’,’ said Augustine George prior to the departure to Maldives.
During this tour a Memorandum of Understanding is expected to be signed between Hulumale Sports School and Manchester Soccer Academy on Saturday which would enable both sides to exchange football development programs to uplift the skills of the children of both academies. The teams are accompanied by coaches Anton Wambeck, Priyantha Perera, Roshan Perera, Rahan Pradeep, and Manju Janaka. Army SC striker Mohamed Issadeen, also a coach at the academy, had to skip this tour as he is taking part in the Dialog Champions League in
Sri Lanka.
Participating teams
Group A: Manchester Academy Red, BG Sports Club, Maziya Sports and Recreation, Club Eagles, Maldives Soccer Mates.
Group B: Manchester Academy White, Early Touch FA, Hulumale Sports School, Tips FC, Soccer Veterans Association of Maldives.