Andhra Pradesh Sports School (APSS) made a virtual sweep of the Hyderabad leg of the Airtel Rising Stars national talent search, in collaboration with Procam International, by taking three of the four places that were up for grabs here today. The players were selected after three days of intense competition from around 800 Under-16 boys who descended at Gymkhana Ground on Friday. Announcing the names of the lucky four, Sharlin Thayil, CEO of Bharti Airtel, Andhra Pradesh Circle, said that the six–member selection panel, comprising of local football veterans has abided by the criterion made mandatory by the Manchester United Scouting Guidelines. The four boys include Maheshwar Reddy and Teja Pawan Kumar (both from APSS) and Aamir Anwar from Nasr School. Meanwhile, the fourth player to get selected Naveen Kumar, also from APSS, has been picked for the goal-keeper’s position. The four will leave for Bangalore where the national selection committee will witness the performance and scrutinise the skills of the shortlisted players from across India before picking 12 players. The final selection would be done under the watchful eyes of coaches from Manchester United. The ultimate dozen will be sent to the famed Manchester United Soccer School. Speaking on the occasion, Thayil said the endeavour was to help build a strong Indian team in the not too distant future. Towards further promotion and to help the youngsters get the competitive zeal. UNI
