BY Fadhil Yunus

Brunei Darussalam’s under-17 team returned home following their stint at the recently-concluded Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-17 Asian Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The Young Wasps were drawn in Group ‘J’ alongside designated hosts Uzbekistan and South Korea in a bid to qualify for the finals next year.

Brunei began their campaign with a 14-0 loss to Uzbekistan before losing to South Korea 10-0 in their final group match.

The 23-member strong squad was led by Admirulrizal bin Arbi as Head Coach, while Team Manager Haji Abdul Razak bin Haji Ibrahim led the delegation and assisted by Assistant Team Manager Morni bin Haji Zakaria.

It was their first competitive appearance in the continental scene since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The last time the under-17 team represented the country was in the Asian qualifiers in September 2019 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Football Association of Brunei Darussalam (FABD) Executive Committee members Pengiran Haji Aliudin bin Pengiran Haji Tajudin; Pengiran Haji Mohd Waslimin bin Pengiran Setia Jaya Pengiran Haji Abdul Momin and Bujang Japar greeted the players and management at the Brunei International Airport.

FABD Technical Director Paul Christopher Munster was also present.

Meanwhile, the second batch of the national under-17 team arrived home at a later time last night.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin