New Cyprus under-17 national football team boss Yiannis Okkas says he and other coaches in the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) national youth set-up are in the process of creating players dedicated to representing the island.
Okkas, who is Cyprus’ most capped player and is still recognised as one of the finest footballers the island has ever produced, has been appointed coach of the Cyprus under-17s. The team is currently in Finland for the Nordic Cup where they have so far lost to Denmark and beaten their Finnish hosts.
“We want to create footballers that will be dedicated to the national team and that is the area that we are working on,” he told the CFA’s official website. “That is why we are here. This age group is vital for their development in football and it is our job to ensure that they will have a future in this sport.”
Cyprus’ national men’s team had a decent Euro 2016 qualifying campaign under former boss Pambos Christodoulou, notching up wins over Bosnia, Israel and Andorra twice.
They will now face Belgium, Greece, Bosnia, Gibraltar and Estonia in their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign under new boss Christakis Christoforou.
“The youngsters are putting in a tremendous effort,” continued Okkas. “They are dedicated and clever enough to know that what we ask of them will help them further their careers.”
