Image not recoveredAbu Thahir K from Thrissur district was selected as the winner of the Kerala leg of Bajaj Allianz selection process for Allianz junior Football Camp 2010. The 16 year old was selected from 12 finalists from six cities in the state on the basis of his superior football skills by an eminent panel of judges comprising of Joe Paul Ancheri, Victor Manjilla and CC Jacob at the Maharaja’s College Stadium, Kochi.
Abu Thahir along with another five students from India will now participate in the Allianz Junior Football Camp at Munich, Germany which is held in association with FC Bayern Munich and also gets a chance to meet Bayern Munich players. Other countries participating in the International camp are Germany, Brazil, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, Russia, South Korea and Hong Kong.
The selection process in Kerala began on 2nd September 2010 with 60 schools participating from six cities of Thrissur, Malappuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam. Abu Thahir is an eleventh standard student at Erumapetty Government Higher Secondary School, Thrissur and overcame Junior Indian Internationals Ijas Ali and Hari Krishnan to win the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Thahir, son of Rayamarakarveetil Abdul Wahab and Aarifa, was a member of the Thrissur district football team in the Kerala State Schools Football Championships 2009.
Commenting on the initiative, former Indian International midfielder and AIFF Player of the Year Joe Paul Ancheri said, “Through this initiative, we have seen immense talent for football in the state. I am pleased to have been a judge at this event which provided a platform to showcase their passion and give them the opportunity to meet the biggest names in football, in India and Germany.”
Image not recovered: dscn8190Ashish Mishra, Zonal Manager (South) of Bajaj Allianz told, “We are overwhelmed by the response from 5000 students from 60 schools for this initiative. We wish Thahir best of luck and hope he continues to pursue his love for the game after his interaction with the international football stars.”
Twelve students selected for the final selection camp at Ernakulam were Vaishak V Menon, Vishnu KP (both Thiruvananthapuram), Rahul S, Ansari V (both Kollam), Aju Bose, Tesbin Baby Thomas (both Kottayam), Mohammed Bahad, Amal Varughese (both Ernakulam), Abu Thahir K, Amal K Raj (both Thrissur), Ijas Ali K and Hari Krishnan P (both Malappuram).
The camp at Germany which lasts from October 13 to 17 will comprise of:
Practice with FC Bayern Munich coaches: At the training sessions, the coaches will guide the participants in practicing different skills such as target shooting, ball juggling, precise passing, etc.
Meet Bayern Munich stars: After the training session, an opportunity to meet some Bayern stars like Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Miroslov Klose and Thomas Muller is on offer.
Allianz Arena tour: A guided tour through the Allianz Arena, one of the most modern football stadium in Germany.
Bayern Munich match: Watch the Bayern Munich side in action at the Allianz Arena.
Sightseeing tour: Besides football activities, participants will get a chance to see some famous sites of Munich.
5-on-5 tournament: On the last camp day, the youngsters will show what they have learned in a 5-on-5 tournament with mixed teams made up of all camp participants.
FootballKerala.com wishes Abu Thahir all the best...
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Navaneeth Sreedharan and Adwaidh Rajan for FootballKerala.com
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Monday 20 September 2010, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.