MUMBAI: Zee Sports, the television partner to the All India Football Federation (AIFF), will produce and telecast the AFC Youth Championship from Kolkata and Bangalore starting 29 October to 12 November 2006.

In Kolkatta the matches will played at the Salt Lake Stadium and in Bangalore the matches will be held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

Zee Sports is also the host broadcaster for the entire Asian region for the event and the feed will be going out to 25 Asian countries.

The AFC U-20 Championship is held every two years and is open to players under the age of 19. According to an official statement, the future stars of Asian football will be playing in this tournament and most of them will in all likelihood represent their countries in the 2010 Fifa World Cup. This tournament also acts as a qualifying tournament for the Fifa U-20 World Cup.

The top four sides in the AFC Youth Championship will advance to the Fifa U-20 World Cup to be played in Canada from 30 June 2007 to 22 July 2007.

The Korea Republic claimed the AFC Youth Championship crown in 2004 with a 2-0 win over China in Kuala Lumpur.

Countries competing in this edition of championship are Kyrgyzstan, Jordan, China, UAE, Thailand, Australia, Japan, North Korea, Iran, Tajikistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Vietnam and hosts India.

Telecast Schedule of the AFC Youth Championship

Match
Date
Time
Korea Republic vs. Jordan 29 Oct 15:30 onwards
India vs. Kyrgyzthan 29 Oct 18:30 onwards
China PR vs. Australia 30 Oct 15:30 onwards
Thailand vs. UAE 30 Oct 18:30 onwards
Jordan vs. India 31 Oct 15:30 onwards
Kyrgyzthan vs. Korea Rep 31 Oct 18:30 onwards
Saudi Arabia vs Malaysia 1 Nov 15:30 onwards
UAE vs China PR 1 Nov 18:30 onwards
Korea Republic vs India 2 Nov 14:30 onwards
China PR vs Thailand 3 Nov 14:30 onwards
Quarter Finals 6 Nov 15:30 onwards
Quarter Finals 6 Nov 18:30 onwards
Semi Finals 9 Nov 15:30 onwards
Semi Finals 9 Nov 17:00 onwards
Third Place Play Off 12 Nov 15:30 onwards
Finals 12 Nov 17:00 onwards