Eight young talented Sri Lankan football players left the island last week to compete in the first ever MILO Champions Cup in Barcelona, Spain.
The tour party comprised six boys and two girls to compete against players from 13 countries that include Malaysia, Australia and Jamaica.
The players were selected at a project called “MILO Road to Barcelona” where an Under-12 tournament, organised by the Sri Lanka Schools Football Association under the patronage of the Ministry of Education was held.
The tournament was open to boys and girls born in 2008 and 2009 in which 13,000 children took part in the initial stages of the competition out of which 350 children were selected to compete in the selection camp held at the Vernon Fernando Stadium in Kalutara on June 29 and 30.
Six talented boys and two talented girls were finally chosen to take part in the Barcelona coaching camp and tournament. According to the organizers, an expert panel of coaches including Sampath Perera, Lalith Weerasinghe and Chaminda Steinwall were involved in the selection process.